BOOM
by emzilyyyy
Summary: Tony is seriously injured in a bomb explosion, how will Tony and the team cope with his new disability? Hurt!Tony, team friendship, NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is my first fanfiction. Please bear with me! I'm only fourteen and would love some constructive criticism. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or anything! Enjoy.**

Ziva's knuckles shone white as she gripped at the steering wheel. She swerved violently on the busy main road, narrowly avoiding an oncoming semitrailer as the car shuddered with the force of a near by explosion. McGee, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately recovered from the near collision to look for the source of the explosion, it was not easy to miss and was definitely not a good sign.

The two agents were travelling to search a nearby warehouse with their team leader and the senior field agent, both of whom had left for the depot ten minutes prior in a separate car. The gathering cloud of debris and dust marked their destination, the place they were going to re-check for any missed vital evidence to their case.

Ziva brutally manoeuvred the car into the driveway of the explosion site next to their co-workers', which was littered with dusty fragments. Even before the car came to a halt the agents were tearing at their seatbelts and ripping at the handles on the car doors. McGee and Ziva were out of the car in seconds and sprinting towards the fiery remains of the warehouse. The structure's doors had been blown clean off and it was leaning precariously to one side. Before they reached the entrance a figure appeared in the destroyed door way and limped roughly to the side. The shape collapsed onto the singed grass beside the destroyed structure, blinded in an impressive coughing fit.

Ziva's mind was utter chaos; figures, calculations and approximations screamed through it without leaving the slightest indentation. There was no time for any form of shock to settle in. Primarily, above everything that was racing through her mind she knew of the two most important things- Tony and Gibbs. The mantra 'Tony and Gibbs, Tony and Gibbs' played repetitively over and over again in her head as she ran towards the structure and the figure on the grass, in what felt like cartoonish slow motion.

The two younger agents were at their team leader's side in a heartbeat and took in his battered and burnt appearance with wide eyes. Ziva kneeled down beside Gibbs, putting a hand on one shoulder as she tried to catch his eye. He leant forward in another bout of coughing, clutching at his chest with one hand.

Gibbs' clothes were singed and coated in thick layer of dust. Bits of grit and debris slid off his jacket and onto the ground beside him each time he rocked forward to cough. A dark bruise was already beginning to sprout on his temple and what was visible of his arms were a hot, angry red.

The world was spinning for Gibbs as he gasped for oxygen. He opened watery eyes to see Ziva's face inches from his own, a deep crevasse cutting her face with worry. She was speaking urgently to him and shaking his shoulder. He was deaf to what she was saying for the ringing in his ears. He opened his mouth to try and get his message across but his throat felt as though it was laced with the chalky dust that coated him and he broke into another series of coughs.

"Gibbs! Where is Tony?" She asked again more urgently, desperation setting in as vital seconds ticked by.

"Need to find Tony – Inside – closer to bomb" he rasped, his ravaged throat raw from smoke inhalation.

Ziva nodded at him efficiently and turned urgently to McGee. She suppressed the fear that flooded her mind, compressing it in an air-tight bottle for later. Ziva turned to find the place where McGee had been just seconds before void of any being; she looked up just in time to see McGee's silhouette disappear into the destroyed structure. She turned back to her partially injured team leader and took a deep breath. She thought coolly and rationally while she smoothly whipped out her mobile phone and barked down it for two ambulances.

She finished making the phone call and hung up after getting an ETA on the ambulances, urging them with the information that there were possibly two federal agents down. Gibbs, who seemed to have regained some of his senses, was on his feet and already staggering determinedly back to the entrance of the warehouse.

"Gibbs!" she called before taking off after him. "Sit down! I'll go in!" She ordered her boss.

"The hell you will!" He replied as they reached the entrance to the building, she couldn't help feeling slightly relieved to see his struggle for air seemed to have been short lived.

They met the form of two people emerging from the building, one straining under the dead weight of the other as McGee supported the limp and unconscious form of Tony DiNozzo out onto the driveway, his feet dragging flaccidly across the dirt.

"Tony?" Ziva breathed as all three of them gently lowered him onto the gritty driveway.

Tony's head lolled to the side as he slumped heavily to the floor, his face was scarcely recognizable beneath the blood that caked it. His arms were raw and burnt and his expensive suit was blackened and singed.

McGee, breathing heavily from the rescue, slid two fingers to the side of the Senior Field Agent's neck. He waited with baited breath for what felt like an eternity before he felt the relieving thrumming of DiNozzo's heart beneath his fingertips.

He pulled his hand away, now slightly bloodied and turned to Ziva's distraught face.

"I've got a pulse."

She breathed out heavily and lent closer to her injured partner, his breathing was irregular and raspy but it was there. Gibbs leant in beside her and hurriedly surveyed his agent, swallowing forcefully. The Senior Field Agent's left arm, neck and cheek were covered in the same raw burn that was the cause of the continuously seeping blood. His head was inertly sitting to one side, exposing his neck vulnerably.

Gibbs's gut was churning sickeningly with a repulsive mixture of worry, regret and fear. At the same time his mind was alight with unanswerable questions: 'What had happened?' was a popular one that kept continuously cropping up. The questions didn't matter now though, what mattered now was the safety and wellbeing of his agent.

"Ziva, where is that ambulance?" He barked, his eyes remaining fixated on Tony's face.

"Ambulance should be here in…" She looked down at her watch and then back up at his profile, "Three and a half minutes, Gibbs." She replied professionally, trying to hold back her emotions. Gibbs nodded slightly and lent forward a little closer, bringing his hand up hesitantly to the side of Tony's face. He tapped his cheek gently with the tips of his fingers.

"Dinozzo? Come on, Tony?" He said, his voice leaking desperation. He tapped him again and raised his voice louder. McGee swallowed harshly at the rare concern that smothered his boss's tone.

"Dammit, Tony, time to get up!"

Tony didn't stir, his head rolled limply to the side at the contact and slithers of white were visible, concealed under his eyelashes. Gibbs sat back on his heels and looked across at McGee who was sitting on the opposite side of Tony, his expression was that of pure, untainted terror.

Everything had happened so quickly. Gibbs had had barely enough time to blink. A few minutes ago he had entered the crime scene with his Senior Field Agent, the two joking their way up the drive way, the next minute he was staggering wildly about the flaming wreck, trying to find an exit. He had yelled franticly between harsh coughs and had received no answer, the only thing he had been sure of was the heat explosion had come from his agent's direction. Gibbs shuddered.

Ash was raining softly down on the three as they knelt around their injured partner; Gibbs had long since forgotten about his own tender burns and wouldn't remember for some time. McGee had struggled out of his jacket and pressed it vigilantly to Tony's injured arm, unsure whether he was aiding his co-worker or not, he continued to hold it there, feeling as though he was contributing.

It was terrifying seeing the usually energetic, to the point of hyperactive co-worker lying so still and defenceless on the gravel. Tony was usually an ongoing stream of playful remarks and humour, even if occasionally it was pretentious, he never failed to entertain. He continued to uphold his reputation as the team huddled around him, nothing close to boring.

Sirens blared in the distance and the three perked up, swimming back to the surface from their individual worried worlds. In reality it had only been a minute but it felt as though a lifetime had passed, and could quite possibly pass if the ambulance did not arrive soon. Thankfully it did and the three held their ground as a team of paramedics leaped from the vehicle.

The paramedics failed to herd the three anxious team members back and settled on working proficiently and quickly around them. The positioned an oxygen mask over Tony's face and transferred him onto a stretcher in record timing, gently strapping him in and readying him for the trip to the hospital. One of the paramedics approached the huddled group as they watched on fretfully.

"We had a call that two agents were down," He said looking over the three, his eyes resting on Gibbs, "Are you alright, Sir?"

"I'm fine" Gibbs said gruffly, waving off the paramedic and looking pointedly at Tony, "Just look after him."

"You don't look fine. You should ride along in the ambulance. You can get checked over once we reach the hospital." He insisted, pointing back at the ambulance that was prepping to depart. Gibbs looked over at Ziva and McGee who both straightened loyally under his gaze.

Gibbs drew a deep breath and glanced up at his Senior Field Agent and the medial personal that were working over him. He turned his gaze back to the two that were standing protectively at his side.

"I'm riding in with DiNozzo," He said instructively, "Ziva; inform the Director and organize another team to be sent out. McGee; drive my car back and arrange for Ducky to meet us at the hospital.

"Yes, Boss" McGee said, Ziva nodded absently. The three split their separate ways


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs paced the waiting room increasingly growing more aggravated and impatient. Ziva sat slouched with McGee on the uncomfortable waiting room seats; their shoulders pressing together as they dismally watched Gibbs wearing a trench in the vinyl hospital floor.

Gibbs had been examined in the two hours they had been waiting; he had been treated for minor burns on his arms and hands, smoke inhalation and a minor concussion from being hurled across the room.

McGee sat staring mindlessly at the peach colored walls in front of him, plastered with vibrant pictures of happy scenes, accompanied by inspirational quotes across the bottom. In the first ten minutes McGee had grown confident that he was now an expert on belief, attitude and ambition.

The team had tediously been over what had happened in minute detail a number of times. None of them could decipher much of the situation from the hospital waiting room, though none of them were prepared to leave without first hearing of Tony's condition.

Gibbs and Tony had entered the warehouse; Tony had branched off into the office on the far right alone, to turn off the alarm. Meanwhile Gibbs had started the search across the main storage room. Tony had called out urgently to Gibbs before the whole place had blown up, the source of the blow coming from the office Tony had been occupying.

The three of them looked up as the door to the waiting room was flung open, smashing the wall behind it. A tall, tear-stained Goth skidded in, immediately shuffling to the miserable looking three in the corner. She was closely followed by the grave-faced pathologist. Her platform shoes echoed boldly on the vinyl floor, Abby reached the small group but in her hurry skidded right passed them; she whipped around and backed up with a few small, fast steps, her arms flung out to her sides as she braced herself.

"I came as soon as I could, it was killing me on the inside having to finish all those tests when Tony was hurt, nobody would tell me how hurt so I just tried to keep up my positive thinking and I took extra special care of my Tony voodoo doll. It was my best work Gibbs, just for Tony. I managed to get some really interesting hits off the tea towel you gave me from the Milbroader case. But that doesn't matter now; the only thing that matters now is that Tony is okay, Tony is always okay. Oh my god, are you guys okay?" Abby managed all in one breath. She looked wild with her pale make up half rubbed off and dark mascara stains strewn down her face.

"Abby, sit down. We are all okay. We haven't heard anything yet but they said it shouldn't be too much longer." Tim reassured her, gesturing for her to take his seat on the washed-out hospital seat.

She looked at him with wide eyes before pulling him into a much needed hug.

"What if he's not okay?" She squeaked to Gibbs, staring at him over McGee's shoulder.

"Then he'll have me to answer to Abbs, come here." He replied. Abby pulled away from Tim and into Gibb's arms.

Ducky had marched off briskly on Gibb's instructions, hoping that his medical knowledge and title would get some information on their injured agent. The team lapsed into silence as they awaited nervously for news of their partner. Gibbs continued pacing; Ziva sat absently on the chairs next to McGee and Abby. Abby sobbed silently into Tim's shoulder.

A short while later Ducky reentered the waiting room following closely behind a solemn looking doctor. The crowd of four were instantly on their feet eager for any news.

"Hello, I am Dr Michael Davidson, Special Agent DiNozzo's doctor for the time being." Dr Davidson said, gripping a chart in both hands.

"Tony," Abby interjected, "Call him 'Tony'" The Doctor nodded at her, taking in Abby's appearance quickly before clearing his throat to begin.

"I am going to put this quite simply: Firstly, I want to re-assure that that Tony is in a stable condition and is currently in our ICU area.

"Tony has suffered second and third degree burns to his neck, face and arm. The burns were not severe enough to require any skin grafting, unfortunately there is a high possibility of scarring. He has also retained skull fracture.

There may be a chance of sensorineural hearing loss. While he is still unconscious we cannot yet perform any audiometric tests, though from what we have gathered from the scans we performed on arrival there is a possibility. This we won't know until he regains consciousness, and if it is the case, there is a chance it may only be temporary."

Abby moaned into Ducky's shoulder and Gibbs ran a hand through his silver hair.

"Can we see him?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Only two at a time, the ICU has restricted visiting hours, though we expect to move him from there into a general ward when he wakes up."

Dr Davidson then bid them goodnight and left the waiting room to tend to his other patients. The group of five stood together.

"Is it bad Duck?" Gibbs asked

"I haven't yet seen Anthony, but from what I have been told it isn't the best case scenario, no." Duck replied evenly before turning to Abby. "Abigail why don't you and Jethro go in first, we'll wait out here."

Gibbs nodded in Ducky's direction before offering an unreadable expression to his two younger agents. He turned and followed Abby down the hallway and to Tony's room.

The last time Gibbs had seen Tony in a hospital bed it had been years before when he had come disturbingly close to dying from a bout of pneumonic plague. He still got shivers when he thought of those blue lights and could almost hear his agent's gasping breaths. The room in which he entered was eerily silent for one that his senior field agent occupied. The silence was broken by the steady beeping of a heart monitor and the whirring of a couple of machines DiNozzo was hooked up to.

Abby couldn't control her tears when she caught sight of one of her best friends lying motionless in the hospital bed. His arms were clad in thick bandages that wrangled their way up to his shoulders. His neck was plastered with patches that continued up and covered the left side of his face, a thick bandage wound its way around Tony's head.

Abby made her way over to Tony's face and unnecessarily neatened the sheets and pillow before pulling up a chair and resting her hand on Tony's. Gibbs remained standing awkwardly at the end of the bed, looking anywhere but the figure in the bed. He rested a hand on the cool metal bars that lined the foot of the bed before sending an apologetic look Abby's way, and shuffling out into the empty corridor. He had work to do, he was not going to stand around while the person that injured his agent got away.


	3. Chapter 3

Ziva and Abby sat in the two squashy arm chairs beside Tony's bed. It was late at night, Mcgee and Gibbs had returned to the office after briefly visiting Tony to continue on the case. McGee had only managed about the same amount of time as Gibbs had in Tony's small hospital room, the disconcerting slience got to him. He figured he was much more use in the office, working on the case then sitting uncomfortably and awkwardly in the hospital room. Ducky had left soon after with promises to return early in the morning.

Ziva's head was resting back on the chair and enormous snores erupted from her open mouth. Abby lay with her head resting on the hospital bed next to Tony's and one arm gently placed on his bandaged hand, carefully avoiding the IV chord. She'd murmered softly to Tony when Ziva and her had first taken up their positions, comforting herself with the one way conversation. She now rested in silence.

Abby's head snapped up instantly when she felt Tony's cold fingers twitch under her own.

"Tony?" She questioned cautiously as a low moan escaped her friends lips. Ziva had woken too at the sound and with a nod to Abby she slid out of the room quickly to notify a nurse.

Abby gazed at his bandaged face intently and couldn't help breaking into a slight smile as the emerald green eyes cracked open briefly before sliding shut again.

Ziva re entered the room quickly followed by a couple of nurses and Dr Davidson who immediately took up Abby's place by Tony's head and started checking the monitors.

"Tony, we need you to wake up now." One of the nurses said, touching his shoulder gently.

Tony's eyes cracked open again at the touch and he blinked lazily at the scene. He felt numb and heavy except for the harsh pounding and the constant ringing in his ears. He had to blink a few times to pull his eyes into focus and straighten out his incoherent thoughts. Somebody was leaning over his face and speaking directly to him, though he could not make out what the stranger was saying over the ringing in his ears. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but stopped short when he realized he could not hear himself speaking.

Abby tried to let Tony know she was there. She could see him becoming more worked up as the doctors continued asking him questions. His eyes glinted with panic and he looked around wildly.

"Where am – "He started in a husky voice and stopped short when he couldn't hear himself. The Doctor spoke to him franticly, gaining his attention as he tapped him on his uninjured shoulder and got directly in his line of vision. Tony's eyes were wide and rolled about the crowded room in panic.

"Somebody get me a pen and paper- NOW" Yelled Dr Davidson over his shoulder while a nurse fumbled a note pad and pencil over his way.

The Doctor scribbled quickly on the note pad before thrusting it in front of Tony's eyes. The patient squinted as he tried to pull the words into focus and concentrated on making out the scrawl.

_Anthony, you were in an explosion and are now in hospital. You suffered some burns and a head injury. The explosion has caused some damage to your ears and hearing, this may be temporary or it could be permanent. We are going to put you through some testing. If this is only temporary you should regain your hearing in at least 48 hours. Are you experiencing any tinnitus - buzzing, ringing or roaring in your ears?_

Tony relaxed slightly into the bed as he finished the end of the note and looked up to the doctor, he nodded slightly and attempted to say the word 'ringing' though he had no idea whether he had said it aloud or not. The doctor nodded and turned back to the nurses. Panic grew again inside the agent as he watched the scene. It was like the watching television with it muted. What if this was permanent? What would he do with his life if we was never going to hear again? How would he cope?

Abby pushed her way past the nurses as they discussed what they should do next. She noticed Tony beginning to panic again and stepped into his line of vision for the first time, grasping his hand and squeezing it. He looked over and put on a weak smile for her, but he had no energy to keep the mask up and it dropped quickly. Ziva appeared next to Abby and his heart dropped to his stomach as he took in the tears that dampened her cheeks. He had seen Abby cry before, but Ziva was the tough Mossad ninja chick that never showed emotion, let alone tears.

"I am going to call Gibbs and McGee now, I will be back in a minute" Ziva said turning to Abby, and then back to Tony, offering a small smile before escaping out the sliding doors.

Ziva was not one to normally cry, though seeing her normally strong partner reduced to lying terrified in a hospital bed terrified her herself. There was nothing but the weak and un-reassuring smile he had attempted, when normally he was a string of taunts, jokes and pointless banter. She whipped out her mobile and hit her speed dial. Gibbs answered on the second ring.

"Yeah, Gibbs"

"Gibbs, it's Ziva. Tony is awake"

"I'm on my way"

"He can't hear Gibbs"

"I'm getting Ducky and I will be there in ten minutes"

"They said it could be permanent."

"Ziva, we are coming. Just stay with Abby and we will be there"

Ziva stood listening to the dial tone. She was tired, everybody was tired and this had not been an easy day. She turned to reenter the crowded room but was greeted by Dr Davidson carrying a chart.

"We have got him scheduled in for the tests early tomorrow morning. He is exhausted now and we have given him a dose of pain medication, so he is sleeping."

"What about his hearing?"

"If it is going to be temporary he should regain his hearing in the next 48 hours. It's rare that a person that has been exposed to this sort of hearing loss should regain their hearing after more than two days, though it is not unheard of."

Abby slid through the open door and came to stand next to Ziva looking tear stained and tired.

"Tony is strong, he is a fighter he is the strongest guy I know. He'll easily get over this, since he is almost as invincible as Gibbs. This will be just like a mini speed bump for him, like really small. He'll be absolutely fine. He always says that 'I'm fine', always! He was 'fine' when he had the plague. He was back at work like only a couple of weeks later!" Abby rambled on, it seemed as though she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying convince Ziva.

"Abby" Gibbs cut her off before she could continue and she seemed to sag before Gibbs caught her in a hug. Ducky walked over and Ziva hugged him.

"Abigail and Ziva, why don't you two go home and get some rest, you both look as though you need it. Jethro and I are going to remain here and speak to the doctor, we'll stay with Anthony tonight."

"I have to stay, what if he wakes up again?" Abby moaned.

"Abby, I need you at your best tomorrow so we can find who did this? Okay? You can come in tomorrow Abbs, Duck and I will take it from here" Gibbs said quietly into her ear. "Ziva, same for you, we need to catch this guy"

"I'll be back here really early before work, tell Tony that if he wakes up. " Abby whispered.

Gibbs kissed her on the forehead.

"Tell me he is going to be okay, Gibbs"

"He'll be okay Abbs."

"How do you know?"

Gibbs was silent and hugged her a little tighter then released her. Abby sniffed before turning to take Ziva's arm as they left the hospital building in the early hours of the morning. Ducky and Gibbs watched them leave before turning to enter the hospital room where their friend lay.

**Oh my god people! Thank you for reviewing! I didn't realize people would ACTUALLY read it! This is my first fanfiction so this is kinda exciting :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Forty-eight hours came and left and days drifted by. Tony swam in and out of consciousness through these days, kept down by the strong pain medication and the stronger still pain. Every time he emerged from unconsciousness there was one of his team there, he figured they had gotten some sort of roster figured out. He could hardly bring himself to be his usual positive self, every time he woke up he got a fair punch in the stomach when he got waved at or they mouthed words at him.

He'd seen Gibbs who had hardly looked up from his newspaper before Tony was asleep again. McGee had sat awkwardly in the chair beside his bed, offering him some water and writing down what had being happening with the case. But Tony's mind had been foggy and clouded from the meds and he gave up on reading the information and settled with faking sleep. Abby was the only one he had really seen and communicated with, she had sat on the edge of his bed, rummaging through a skull and cross bones purse to pull out a black pen with a detached zombie head on the top, and a Gothic notepad with black lacy frills on the edges. She hadn't acted like nothing was wrong, nothing had changed or soon it would all work out. She was being realistic, wasn't pressuring him to talk or to plan ahead. She was just being there with him. A comfortable weight on the edge of his bed reminding him that he wasn't alone.

Even Abby couldn't stop the 'what ifs' that were flying around inside his head. He could live with the scars; he would have to- it wasn't as if he would be getting a choice. But deafness, _a disability_ was something he wasn't sure he could handle. How would he watch movies? How would he order a meal at a restaurant? How would he talk on the phone? How he pick up girls? _How would he do his job?_

They had told him that it was unlikely he would fully regain his hearing if at all. He was now a week into the hospital stay.

'_I can teach you sign language' _Abby wrote

Tony stared at her in silence.

'_My parents are both deaf Tony, I know it might seem like it.. But this isn't the end of the world.'_

'But you can see it from here.' Tony replied awkwardly, he hadn't gotten used to speaking aloud and had no idea what his voice sounded like.

'_Too loud that time. See what? The end of the world? I bet you can't.'_ She wrote back, raising her eyebrows at him. She was the only one that honestly told him when the volume of his voice was wrong.

"Not really, I can. It's a world where Gibbs is social and McGoo rides a motorcycle." Tony half smiled back, trying to soften his voice a bit.

'_Better. God, that sounds terrifying. Tony I know it seems bad, and it will continue to seem bad for while. But Tony it could be so much worse, you could be dead.'_ She wrote back before pulling him into a hug. Tony hugged back.

"I'm trying Abbs, you know that." He half whispered into her ear. She pulled back and kissed him on his good cheek. Before leaning back to grab the zombie pen from where she had left it.

'_Back to the important stuff- Sister Rosmerta bowled a four in the first round'_ she started off again while Tony read the words as she wrote them down on the patterned paper, hugging him and explaining her bowling adventures of the week. Half an hour later the haggard daytime nurse swung open the door to Tony's room, announcing on a small whiteboard she carried that is was time to change the dressings and bandages before another dose of pain medication. Tony winced as he read the words and prepared himself for the well known and much feared process. Abby stood back and watched as the nurse began the slow process, Tony lay still and tense as she unwrapped his arms, showing red, blistered, burnt and angry skin. The second degree burns hurt more than the third for Tony due to the reduced sensation. His face and neck hurt the most, and part of his left arm. As soon as the practice was finished the nurse admitted more pain medication which seemed to work immediately.

The nurse left the two alone again and the goth resumed her previous position. Abby sat stroking his bandages while he felt his body relaxing and the pain slowly ebbing away.

"Thanks Abbs" He whispered to her, feeling his eyelids drooping. She smiled down at him and spoke despite him not being able to hear her.

"You will be okay, I know you will."

He looked at her and nodded, knowing somewhere inside him what she had said. She pulled her hands away before rummaging in her handbag once more. Out came a pocket sized stuffed doll that she cradled in her hands. Tony caught sight of a tiny glued on image of his own face with a minute strip of fabric wrapped around it's head, before he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Abby left as soon after, meeting Ducky at the hospital exit.

"Abigail! Jethro told me I might meet you here, tell me; how is our dear patient today?" The doctor said smartly when he noticed the young goth walking his way.

"He's doing like, heaps better. He's gonna get through it Duckster, I can feel it. He made like five Tony jokes today. Like, real ones not the corny fake ones he was doing yesterday."

"They're all corny Abbs, I think you're the only one that actually gets what the hell he is going on about."

The two turned to see McGee strolling in from the car park, he shook hands with Ducky before giving Abby a kiss on the cheek.

"Well I certainly am glad to hear he is doing well, our Anthony certainly is a fighter - reminds me of a lad I one met back in '87. Caught up in some oil production company fire.."

"Sorry to interrupt Duck, Abby- Gibbs and Ziva think they might have found our guy, or girl in this case. Tony's therory was correct - the wife. She'd found out about Milbroader's _other_ wife, Jane Milbroader, she ran the Stillston Lorry sight with her sister - our victim Sarah Stillston. Seems as though Jannet Milbroader killed the wrong sister. Ziva is interrogating her now, we are pretty sure we'll get a confession."

"I'll head back there now and sign those papers. Tony's asleep just so you two know." Abby replied and turned to leave.

"In that case, Timothy you may return with Abigail. I am going to speak to his doctors about when he should be able to return home and the his future treatment. I'll stay with him after that and contact you when he awakens"

The two nodded their thanks and left to return to the office.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony lay in his hospital bed staring out the window into the grey car park but not seeing it. It was day eleven of his hospital stay and he had been told he should be getting out soon, into the real world. At least the real world had good food that didn't taste as though somebody had eaten it before he had, or had television that wasn't limited to the one channel that constantly played _Shrek2_. He couldn't say he wasn't scared, he was terrified. He knew his team mates – friends were preparing for his homecoming, it was impossible not to notice their planning, he had hardly had a minute alone which was all he really wanted. He couldn't deal with this with McGee hanging over his shoulder or Ducky asking if he wanted to play checkers. Gibbs was alright, Tony didn't groan inwardly when he awoke to the smell of coffee and sawdust. All Gibbs did was sit and drink coffee at his bedside, not attempting to communicate except for the occasional eyebrow raise or hard stare.

Gibbs just sat. Abby was comforting. Ziva was all business. Ducky was a medical translator. McGee was awkward and nervous. And he was a specimen in a test tube.

He jumped a mile high and gasped as a hand grabbed his shoulder, he had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't seen McGee enter the room, obviously it was going to be much easier for people to sneak up on him now.

_SORRY_ McGee mouthed when Tony had composed himself. He rolled his eyes and straightened in his bed, turning to his coworker who was settling himself into the light green chair.

"Jesus, Elflord! Learn to knock." Tony said aloud, his voice sounding as though he had a cold.

McGee looked uncomfortable at Tony's suggestion but Tony didn't seem to mind. He hoped he had made the man feel uncomfortable, it should serve him right for sneaking up on him.

McGee reached for the now slightly battered, notebook on Tony's bedside and began to scribble.

_Nice to see you too, I thought DiNozzo's were fearless?  
_

Tony raised an eyebrow and gave him a hard look.

_Moving on then.. I heard you were getting out soon?_

Tony nodded

_I hope you don't mind.. Abby and I collected a bag of clothes. Thought you might want a change, even though those floral backless gowns really do bring out your eyes._

Tony read it and childishly poked his tongue out at his coworker, before batting his eyelids at the duffel bag on the floor.

_So…. When did the catheter come out?_

Tony's head whipped up, causing him to wince slightly. He grabbed the pen off McGee with his good hand and began scrawling on the note, not bothering to embarrass himself by screwing up an insult by saying it aloud.

_Dearest Probie/ McGonagall/ Elflord/ Scum,_

_Remember the time when I stole all your Wolverine action figures and super glued them and your posters all over your desk and then took photos of you working there when you couldn't get them off? Or that time that I filmed you at karaoke singing 'dancing queen'? Remember how I still have those files hidden away?_

_Good reminiscing old times. Nice seeing you Probie._

McGee chucked the duffel bag onto the other side of the bed and put his feet up on rail of the bed surveying his partner. Tony's bandages had been slightly reduced and the ones that covered the lesser burns would be removed soon. The bandage around his head was gone and the bruises were healing, though the patches on his face and neck remained. Tony was going to be released soon though would have to return every few days for another few weeks to have his burns redressed. McGee couldn't imagine what the burns looked and felt like. He had researched third degree burns on the computer and was horrified by some of the ghastly injuries that came up in Google Images. Abby had assured him that Tony's burns were not as bad as those were, and did not require any grafting. But he could not get the images out of his mind.

The whole team had been affected by the incident, and half the office had come by his desk over the past week asking for news on Tony. He could tell easily how thrown off Gibbs was. He was constantly distracted and calling for updates every time somebody visited. Gibbs hadn't gone in much himself though, and whenever he did come to visit his senior field agent it was when he was sure Tony was asleep or after his dose of pain relief. McGee was aware of an ongoing fight Gibbs was having with the director. Negotiating a way of having DiNozzo on the team despite his deafness. Nobody could really take in the apparent permanence of his hearing loss, every minute that passed it grew less and less likely that DiNozzo would magically recover. The one person that seemed to be taking it best was Tony himself and seemed to be the one reassuring everybody that he was okay. He was obviously not okay, something had died inside his eyes, a light had gone out and was replaced by a blank hopelessness that he seemed to desperately be trying to cover. McGee was not fooled by the obvious mask, nobody was. It was just too hard to approach the uneven topic of DiNozzo's feelings. Tony was always the strong one, the one that never gave in and the one that hid behind his own personal mask. Nobody talked emotion with Tony, even when he lay helpless, deaf and injured in a hospital bed. But Mcgee was going to give it ago, after all - he pretty much hated him anyway. Right?

_What are you going to do?_

Tony smiled cheekily and misread the question. "Email all the photos and videos to the whole NCIS building of course."

_And what are you going to do about your deafness? _Tony stared at the words and then at the blankets of his bed which had suddenly become incredibly interesting.

"Still planning that one out."

_Care to share?  
_

"Not particularly, no."

_You have no plan then?_

"Go home, watch Magnum. Peperoni pizza. Bath. Work at 0700 the next day. Haven't you got some troll soldiers to fight off or something?"

_You think they'll let you back into NCIS?  
_

"Gibbs." - Enough said.

_How will you answer the phone? How will you interrogate a suspect? How will chase down a suspect in the dark?_

"... With great difficulty."

_Are you okay?_

"Yes McGoo, I'm just peachy."

_No your not._

"WELL OBVIOUSLY. " Tony hoped that he was yelling, McGee was doing what nobody else had yet done.

_Yeah, that's what I thought. I can't convince you that it will be okay, it might not be. It isn't at the moment. You are going to have to work hard to get back to living a normal life._

"I know McGee! I'm not stupid! I wont be able to work, you can't be a freaking deaf field agent! How the hell am I supposed to get up in the morning? Alarm clock, door bell, telephone, oven timer! PEOPLE? This is a freaking nightmare! I LOOK like a freaking nightmare!"

_Yeah._

A silence fell between the two of them. Tony lent his head back onto the pillow before switching on the television and passing the remote to McGee who fumbled with the volume which had been turned down all the way. They watched the final scene of Shrek2 with the subtitles on before the movie switched off and a message came onto the screen explaining to the patients how they can request to watch their choice of movie from the list at their bedside by telling one of the nurses.

Tony reached forward and dragged the bag containing his belongings up the bed so he could go through it. He pulled out a couple of loose tee-shirts, a few pairs of tracksuit pants, boxers, socks, his deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste and an unidentified bag filled to the top. He snickered slightly at the joke Abby and McGee had made. The was an entire shopping bag brimming with different brands and types of male hair care products.

He kicked down the sheets and swung his legs over the bed, grabbing the sports bag. "Shove over Probie" He ordered as the junior agent watched him leaving his bed for the first time in front of him. He walked steadily yet stiffly to the bathroom keeping himself upright and minding his bandages.

"Should I get a nurse or somebody to help you?" He called to the closed bathroom door. Before stopping short. Tony couldn't hear him.

He stood up and walked over to the door, unsure whether to open it or not. He listened silently to the noises coming from within, he heard his partners breathing becoming heavier and some quiet curses, he waited there for what seemed like ages before he stepped away from the door as it opened.

Tony stepped out dressed in some sweat pants and a loose tee shirt over his bandages. He had beads of sweat on his forehead and around the outside of his patches and he made his way over to his bed with more difficulty than he had done when he left it.

"That hurt" He mumbled before carefully stretching his body out over the sheets.

_Want me to get a nurse?_ McGee wasn't sure what to do, his partner seemed to be falling asleep after the effort he had put into simply getting dressed.

"Naah" Tony said, though it was barely audible and was mainly mouthed he shook his head. "Thanks Tim, sorry about before." He said a little louder this time. McGee didn't reply but let Tony keep talking.

"I know you pulled me out of that place. This might sound kind of corny and awkward.. But thanks for saving my life Probie. This has got to be what? The second or third time now?"

McGee smirked and wrote down quickly.

_What? No 'I love you's? No promises never to give me a hard time again?_

Tony smiled 'I don't make promises I can't be bothered to keep, Probie.. But if you really want an 'I love you' I'm sure I can muster something up?"

_I'm good._

**Wow! Thank you all for actually reading, i feel kind of flattered. Any tips or anything?  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Ziva, Abby and Mcgee all stood in silence in Tony's living room, looking around.

It had taken less than thirty seconds for Ziva to pick the simple lock on Tony's front door, in that thirty seconds they had managed to panic a neighbour into thinking she was witnessing a robbery. Only to be reassured that they were friends of Tony and had lost their key.

"Phew, I was almost ready to call the cops. But I guess you must BE the cops, dear Tony has told me about his friends and his work." Said the elderly woman they had frightened. She lived across the hall from Tony and surveyed them from her doorway, clad in a pink woolen cardigan and matching slippers.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Tony in a while. Has he been away?"

Ziva stepped forward and offered her hand

"Hello, I am Ziva. Tony was injured in a work related accident. He should be coming home soon though, we were just going to get his apartment set up for his return."

"Oh my! Is he alright?" The woman looked at the three wide eyed." I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Margaret"

"His injuries were quite serious; he has extensive burns and had lost his hearing."

The woman gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

"Not Tony! I've spoken to him on a few occasions, he's a lovely boy. Always making sure I'm alright. When will he be back?"

McGee stepped forward. "Uh we aren't too sure, most likely in the next few days."

"Well send him my best dear" The woman nodded at the three and went to shut her door, before she reopened it again causing the them to turn back and face her.

"Sorry, but are you Abby?" She smiled at the goth, who looked slightly confused before smiling back.

"Yes ma'am, Abby Sciuto"

"I thought so, I have heard about you, nice shoes" She said with a smile before shutting the door fully.

McGee shrugged at Abby before entering the apartment.

The small one bedroom apartment was neat and tidy. A large leather couch stretched across half of the room in the perfect viewing position of the large widescreen television and surround sound speakers that were set up. A large bookcase covered one wall; the trio were not to surprised to see that more than half the shelves were dedicated to a wide range of DVDs, all in order of genre.

"It's so-" Ziva started

"Clean" McGee finished.

"Well what did you guys expect?" Abby said, clomping off into the kitchen in her platform shoes, she seemed to know her way around quite well.

"Something much worse, something involving tire tracks running along the ceiling..." Ziva commented

"Well, you should have seen it before he got a maid. I'm not sure the tire tracks were on the ceiling, but they were defiantly all over the walls"

Ziva snickered and wandered into the first door on her right, Tony's bedroom. She stood staring in the doorway. The room was incredibly simple, consisting of a large double bed, a bed side table and a cupboard with sliding doors on the side. A door stood open on the other wall leading into the small bathroom.

"Okay, guys come on lets get this stuff set up" Abby called from the kitchen.

Having somebody that knew about deafness like Abby did was an enormous help. Both Abby's parents were deaf and she was an expert an everything to do with the subject. She had brought over what she called 'her little bag of goodies' which was an enormous black frilly bag crammed with unidentifiable objects.

They worked together in making Tony's apartment easier for him to live in, installing a doorbell that made the lights flash every time somebody pressed the button. They set up an alarm clock that vibrated the bed when it went off. The prize of Abby's goodies was a boxy white machine that she placed next to his home phone. It had a keyboard and a small screen.

"This one is gonna take a little longer to get going, but it should work out so he can talk on the phone in the end" Abby announced, looking down proudly at the lap-top sized object.

"Impressive. You sure your parents don't mind?" McGee said, nodding at the box.

"Yeah they said it's fine, plus this one was spare."

Ziva emerged from Tony's bedroom and joined the other two in the living room as they clustered around the new device. It was quiet and they listened to the noises of the street outside.

"He'll be okay." Abby said flatly, breaking the silence between them. She looked up at her friends for support.

"He'll be fine." McGee and Ziva said at the same time.

"I know we really should be keeping positive, good vibes. You know? I read this study some scientists did in Mongolia with patients benefiting from having people .. Wait, that doesn't matter. The thing is I can't stop thinking about whats going to happen. This is all so wrong you know? This was never supposed to happen. I know this is the thing I should least be worried about, but imagine the scars he is going to have! Imagine what he is going to look like? How will he cope? How will he cope when he can't HEAR?"

"Abby, Abby, Abby" McGee held his arms out and Abby sobbed into his shoulder

"He'll cope."

"What if-"

"Abby, he _will_ cope."

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs strode into the autopsy room and straight to one of the cold metal benches without breaking his stride. He sat himself down on it and glanced over at the desk in the corner.

It was eleven thirty and yet Ducky sat under the desk lamp, with a stack of paperwork and a old cup of tea.

"Jethro"

"Hey Duck"

"If you were after more information on our departed Lieutenant friend here, I'm afraid I can't give you much else,"

"No, I'm just waiting on McGee's financial check of Lieutenant Jackson, it's gonna be an allnighter"

"I was just finishing up these papers before retiring for the evening, would you care for a cup of tea?"

Gibbs lifted his hand to wave the half empty Starbucks coffee cup at him, Ducky nodded and looked back to his work.

"Something playing on your mind? Anthony?"

"Yeah"

"What has the director had to say about it?"

Gibbs let out a long breath and rubbed a hand over his face

"He wont be cleared for field work, Ducky"

There was silence in the room, Ducky let out a sigh and placed the lid back on his pen, setting it down on top of the stack of paper.

"Did you ever expect him to be?" Dr Mallard asked turning his attention fully to his friend.

"There is always the chance he could regain-" Gibbs said quietly.

"Jethro, you need to stop kidding yourself. It is a fact; it is highly unlikely that our dear Anthony will ever fully regain his hearing. I understand how devastating this is for you, as his friend. But we really need to be thinking about Anthony at this point in time. How we can aid him in his recovery. You need to accept the permanence of his injury so we can help him progress"

"Vance is offering Tony a desk job, still in the team. As long as we take on another agent for the field."

"Why, that's terrific news!"

"You think he'll take it? You know he can't sit in that chair long enough to fill out half an evidence report."

"Well…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought Duck."

"Jethro. I Know how difficult this is for you, whether you admit it aloud or not this man is your friend. You've known him for more than seven years now and work with him for an ungodly number of hours every week. You are witnessing what we must call his lowest point which is tough on everybody. What Anthony needs now is all the friendship, support and patience he can get. Let him make his own decisions when he is ready.. Maybe advise him in making to correct one ."

Gibb's phone interrupted Ducky by ringing just as he was about to open his mouth. Gibbs spoke a few brief one word replies into his mobile.

Gibbs was sliding off the cold surface of the autopsy benches and was striding towards the elevator

"Duty calls, thanks Duck."

Ducky called after him over the familiar 'ding' of the elevator. "He never ceases to surprise us Jethro, remember that!"

**I just want to say thank you so much to everybody that is reviewing and reading and giving me advice, i'm kinda flattered. It's really exciting every time I get a review! I am trying to update it as fast as I can, which isn't hard because I'm so addicted to writing it! I'll try to keep my updating fast but I have exams really quite very very soon so we will see how long this lasts.**


	7. Chapter 7

**MY LONGEST CHAPTER YET guys, I feel kinda proud. This is is drawing out longer than I thought it would, but hey. **

It was mid morning and Tony sat on the edge of the bed he had occupied for two weeks. It didn't sound like long when he said it, but it felt as though he had been there for years. He had spent almost all of his stay asleep in bed but despite that he was still exhausted, mentally and physically.

The nurses patted him on the back and smiled their goodbyes, even though he would be returning in two days time for a top up on the bandage side of things. He sat dressed in comfortable track suit pants, some old runners and a sweatshirt that covered his arms. He clutched a bundle of pamphlets he had been offered by the doctor a few days before but had neglected to even skim through. They all had inspirational titles like _Hearing impairments, learning about your disABILITIES _.They pretty much all made him sick.

He was just waiting on his release papers before he planned to take a cab home. He had been over his ride home tens of times over the past few days, playing out what he would say and how he would manage. He was feeling sick to the stomach at the prospect of entering the real world for the first time and finding his way home minus his hearing.

Dr Davidson entered his room and offered his hand to Tony, who shook it and plastered on what he thought was a convincing smile. The Dr could sense his patients anxiety and nervousness.

"I have your release papers here, Tony," The doctor said aloud, waving the release papers obviously as he said the words "I need you to sign them here." He pointed to a couple of empty lines on the documents and then mimed signing his name.

Tony rolled his eyes at the gesture and nodded, reaching for the precious documents, he had found even over the couple of weeks he had been deaf his lip reading had improved.

"You gotta pen?" He asked, looking around.

A pen was presented to him and the forms were filled out. The doctor gave him a smile. He had only had only treated a handful of patients with the same case as Tony DiNozzo's in his career, he realised that he was not the younger man's favourite person at the moment, nor would he ever be. The man in front of him, however grumpy, angry or depressed he was on certain days, was handling the situation well. Much better than the handful of other patients he had treated. He knew of DiNozzo's career and the impact it was having on him, but this man had good friends and was heading into safe hands.

"That's that. Well done Tony, your free to go. I'll be seeing you in a few days."

"Huh?" Tony frowned at him. He appreciated the doctor skipping the slow process of the note writing but it didn't make understanding him any easier.

The doctor shook his head and smiled. He stuck his thumbs up and held his arms outwards presenting the exit to the small hospital room. Tony smiled and stood up, swinging his bag over his shoulder and held out his hand to shake.

"Thank you Doc, I really appreciate it.. Everything. Back here in two days, right?"

The doctor nodded and firmly shook the offered hand before patting his patient on the back. A thought occurred to him and he whipped out a pen and paper and scrawled down a note.

_You got anyone to pick you up Tony? Might be an idea to stay with someone or get someone to stay with you for a bit while you get used to everything. It's a whole new world. _

"Naah, I'm alright, DiNozzo's don't need baby sitting. Thanks again Doc" Tony said, pasting the smile back on and trying to make his voice sound more confident then he felt, he wondered how that was working out. He stuck his thumbs up and attempted to head out the door again.

Just as his hand hit the handle he was swatted on the back of the head with something, causing him to startle and swing around. The doctor held out the bundle of pamphlets he had conveniently forgotten on the end of the bed. The regretfully took them, pretending he couldn't understand what the doctor was saying when he mouthed _READ THEM._ It didn't matter anyway now, he was free.

His confidence drained the minute he stepped onto the pavement outside the hospital doors, everything was wrong. A truck drove past in silence, people laughed and talked around him, a dog barked. It was like watching the world from inside a soundproof bubble. How would he ever adjust to this? It was a nightmare. People eyed him and his bandages and suddenly he felt as though the whole world was talking about him and he couldn't hear a word of it. He turned around and cast his eyes over the street before realising how stupid he was being. 'Grow up DiNozzo, get a grip.' He told himself, holding onto his bag a little tighter and breathing in and out slowly to calm himself.

'Alright DiNozzo, you can do this. First mission: Find a cab' he thought to himself.

Just as he turned to begin his search a hand clasped the back of his arm, just above the elbow and sent him a metre high in the air. He whipped around to find who it was.

Gibbs raised a single eyebrow at his expression. Tony visibly relaxed and breathed out.

Gibbs nodded at his car parked illegally across the street and frowned his message across to Tony. Had Tony thought he would have to catch a cab home from hospital? Sometimes he couldn't believe the stupidity of his agent. It looked as though he had got there just in time too, Tony looked as though he was about to have a full blown panic attack seconds before Gibbs had caught his attention.

Tony turned the volume up on his 100 watt DiNozzo smile, secretly praying it would get him out of the trouble he knew he was in. Gibbs looked pissed, really pissed and he knew he would cop the punishment later.

Tony racked his mind and caught the whisp of a memory from a few years back.

_'I should have known' _Tony attempted to sign, trying to remember the gesture Gibbs had taught him a couple of years ago, then pointing at his boss. _I should have known it was you. _Was what he was trying to say.

Gibbs held back a smile that threatened to break through his almightily Gibbs barrier when he realized what Tony was doing. He replied with three sentences of fluent sign language leaving Tony with a perplexed expression on his face. This time Gibbs did laugh out loud before moving on to his car with Tony close behind.

* * *

Gibb's car rolled up outside DiNozzo's apartment. He had driven extra carefully for the twenty minute ride, mindful of his injured agent. Even though Tony tried to play it down, he watched his agent's eyelids drooping minutes into the journey having not being accustomed to the strain of being on his two feet for more than fifteen minutes. He wondered if the day's plans were a good idea or not when he had to prod Tony awake.

"Too late" He muttered aloud to himself as he took in the cars parked along side his on the street. Next to him sat a familiar Dodge Charger, a shiny red Ford Coupe hot rod was parked on the other side, it looked as though Jimmy Palmer's battered Honda was just across the road, the others must have parked around the corner.

"Something you're not telling me, Boss?" Tony asked sleepily when he noticed the cars. He unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out the vehicle. They made their way up to Tony's apartment in the elevator, Gibbs critically studying his agent under the flickering florescent lights. He looked worn and tired and was leaning heavily on the wall. He wore a sweat shirt that covered his one bandaged arm and still held his neck stiffly when he moved about, careful of the dressing that still covered his burns. Gibbs new that he was still on a lot of medication and had gotten the simple overview of it all from Ducky who had had detailed medical conversations with Dr Davidson.

Tony couldn't help feeling slightly irritated. Obviously everybody the team was here, probably waiting around some corner to jump out and surprise him. It wasn't that he didn't want to see them or appreciated the idea, it was just that it might of been nice to have a bit of warning or maybe they could ask him what _he_ wanted to do. Instead of constantly making plans regarding him and informing him afterwards.

Tony slid the key into the lock and had barely cracked open the door before he was hit by a thundering force, which had him flying backwards to hit the grimy wall behind him. The force, he later discovered was a slightly over excited Abigail Scuito.

He gasped and pushed himself into an upright position, hugging her back and looking over her shoulder at the rest of his team who had emerged from the doorway. Apparently somebody had said something because Abby pulled back and looked at him worriedly, before breaking into a continuous string of unreadable words. It wasn't hard to catch the gist of what she was ranting about.

"Abby, I'm fine."

No sooner had the words left his mouth; he was being tugged by the good arm into handshakes, hugs and smiles of his awaiting team. Gibbs, McGee, Ziva, Abby, Ducky and Palmer lead him into his own apartment and offered him a seat in his own home. Abby seemed to be running the small party; she made sure he admired the food and drink that had been set out across the table, had a drink filled some sort of sweet substance (he was not allowed alcohol with his medication), and was sitting comfortably on his own couch. He found himself sitting with Ziva on one side and McGee on the other. He watched at everybody became emerged in conversation. Ducky and Gibbs were talking sternly in the entrance to his kitchen and glancing at him occasionally. He didn't need his hearing to know that they were talking about him, but he let it slide as he tried his best to enjoy the moment.

Ziva tapped him on the knee and successfully gained his attention, leaning back on the couch and holding up a crumpled note that she had written on in black marker.

_Hi _

"Oh, hey there."

She smiled and scribbled down another note, while she was doing so Tony leaned over her and plopped an arm over her shoulder, deciding to play his favourite game.

"And what might this be, miss Zee-vaah?" He said in what he hoped was a teasing voice. He reached out and touched the silver chain that hung around her neck, the usual Star of David hung there, but it was accompanied by a small silver heart.

She looked up into his damaged face and smirked.

"You wouldn't! Not in my absence?"

She smirked a little bit harder. Tony didn't really mind, it was a game they played a lot. He had noticed the new silver chain a week before the accident. He had been worried then and had wandered down to Abby hoping to approach the subject of Ziva's new neckwear without raising to much suspicion, praying she might have some answers for him. Abby being Abby had read him like a weather forecast and assured him that it wasn't a new boyfriend, but had withheld any further information.

_I forgot to tell you_

"Tell me what?"

_I won the bet!_

"What bet?"

_The one three weeks ago, where I bet Abby I could have you down in her lab inquiring about my love life in 24 hours._

"Oh, that bet" Tony kept his face of all emotion, but laughed inwardly 'Duh DiNozzo,' he thought to himself.

_You do know I will kill you. You can't use Abby's un-waving loyalty like that!_

"You mean 'unwavering loyalty'?"

_I like waving better. Don't try to change the subject. Don't you know curiosity killed all the rabbits?_

"The cat?"

_What?_

"The cat, Ziva. Curiosity killed the cat. Give it up Ziva, just quit while you're behind."

She rolled her eyes and said something aloud that he didn't catch, but he caught the gist. He smiled a slightly restricted smile back at her, due to the binds on his cheek.

It was little after three in the afternoon when Tony finally lost his one way battle with exhaustion. He had cheerfully conversed with everybody on his team, growing frustrated and bored with the slow scribbling of notes. He hadn't realized how much his deafness would exclude him. When he was in hospital most conversations had been one on one and hadn't lasted for very long before he fell asleep on the unlucky visitor. It was frustrating how easily he lost track of the conversation being had when another person joined, and how easily forgotten he was. He didn't blame anybody for these few occasions where the conversation would continue and he would be left sitting lost as they chatted away.

Tony's head finally dropped to his chest, the conversation in the room dying away as the team noticed their sleeping friend. They began to quietly pack up, speaking in hushed voices as they moved about the small living room packing the half eaten food and cups into a rubbish bag. It was only a couple of minutes later when McGee looked up from carefully placing the beer bottles into the garbage bag making minimal noise. What the hell were they doing? He chucked the rest of the bottles in loudly making Palmer jump and Gibbs look up from the other side of the room. The group all looked around at each other, Ducky chuckled. The silence broke.

The cleaning done and the house spotless, the team said goodbyes in the hall. Tony had been left oblivious on the couch to his much needed sleep. Ziva, McGee and Palmer headed out quickly. Abby, Ducky and Gibbs remained standing in the hall.

"Well, I don't know about you two boys, I'm staying." Abby frowned as if she was challenging the older men to contradict her.

"A marvellous idea, Abigail. I trust you've got your belongings here?" Ducky nodded approvingly.

"My things are in the car, I brought Burt, Tony looks as like he could use him"

"I'm just going to check on the lad, it's about time for another round of his medication. I thought it would be better to do it when it was a bit... Quieter" Ducky announced.

"Not staying Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Not tonight I'm afraid, Mother has been quite irate over the past few days and I promised I would be home early to groom those infernal corgis of hers before tea time." Duck snorted while making his way back into the living room. "You're staying I presume?"

"Yeah, maybe Duck. Just the rest of the afternoon. Got nothing better to do." Gibbs said waving his arm and sitting on the corner of the couch. He had things he had to talk about with his agent, things that Tony may or may not want to hear, but things that had to be said. He knew Abby wasn't going to let DiNozzo off that easily either and he figured Tony might as well cop it all in the one night.

Ducky knelt down in front of the sleeping agent and put a steady hand on his knee, trying to wave him as gently as possible.

Tony breathed out a big sigh and cracked open his eyes a little, taking a second to remember what was going on. Ducky tapped his knee again and re-caught the agent's attention. He blinked again and tried to clear the fogginess in his mind, cursing the medication. Tony looked around the living room for the rest of the team, wondering how everything had gotten so tidy in the few seconds he had shut his eyes.

_Others left, Abby's getting her stuff. How are you feeling?_

"Jus' peachy" Tony half slurred, rubbing his hand over his eyes and leaning his head back on the couch.

Tony's attention was caught by a blur of pink and black out the corner of his eye. Abby had re-entered the living room; a black wheelie bag at her feet, squashy pink doona thrown over her shoulder and Burt the forever faithful stuffed hippo tucked neatly under her arm.

"Staying?" Tony yawned, " 's not gonna be that 'xciting, 'fraid" he said, still trying to wake himself up.

Abby grinned in reply and rolled over the top of the couch with all her belongings, landing heavily next to her friend. Ducky held out a glass of water and two small pills in the palm of his hand. Tony reached out and took the glass carefully, but shook his head at the offered pills.

_Take them._

"I'm fine, Duck. I'll take them a little later" Tony said, keeping up the bravado.

The note made a re-appearance in front of his face, the same except the words now underlined twice.

_Take them._

"Duck, I promise. Later."

All Ducky had to do was turn his head slightly to the left at the lead agent. The pills were gone and DiNozzo wore a sheepish smile; All it had taken was a quick look on Gibbs's part.

_Good to see your feeling better Anthony ( and have come to your senses), I expect to see you later._

Ducky shook hands with Tony and Gibbs and received a smothering hug from Abby, and was out the door rambling about a corgi breeder he met in '78. Three wandered back from the dingy elevator and into the small apartment, shutting the front door behind them.

**OKAY! I just wanted to say thanks to Azzi. Turner and moms5thchild.. Yeaaahh shout-outs... God, I'm so not cool...**

**Comments, compliments, criticism all welcome.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews and messages! I get ridiculously excited whenever i get a new one. Like, ridiculously. They are so motivating! Reeeeaaadd!**

Tony flopped back down onto the leather couch as Abby perched herself on the coffee table in front of him, still tightly wrapped in the doona. Gibbs had ventured into the kitchen in search of some much needed caffeine. Abby grinned at Tony mischievously.

"What?"

The next thing he knew he was hauled to his feet and toured around the apartment as Abby pointed out the things she had installed earlier in the week, all of which he had missed. The first he saw was the alarm clock which he managed to get a little excited over. He even lay in the bed and felt the harsh vibrations when Abby set it off, jumping up as soon as he noticed Gibbs watching bemused in the doorway. By the time he had politely viewed the other objects and had reached the doorbell, he was running short of the energy required to mould his face into a convincible look of excitement. Not that he wasn't grateful, he was thankful to his friends. Abby grabbed his hand and guided his outstretched finger to press the doorbell before pushing and pulling him back into the house to watch the lights plink off, on, off, on, off, on. He felt guilty about it but could not help finding it all slightly depressing.

Abby noticed his mood swing. _How cool is the doorbell! It didn't take long to install with McGee and his mad skills._

Tony smiled the classic DiNozzo smile and pulled Abby into a tight hug. "My skills are way madder" he said into her shoulder.

She pulled back and looked at him quizzically.

"You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills.."

_Napoleon Dynamite - easy._

"McFuzzylogic should learn from me- 'girls only want boyfriends who have great skills'"

Gibbs entered the room holding a cup of the steaming brand of crap DiNozzo drank and called 'coffee'. He said something aloud to Abby about the last comment and she laughed and replied. Gibbs tried to hide his smile as he settled down on a chair with the newspaper.

"Huh?" Tony asked, knowing the joke was about him.

Abby turned to face him and began to speak, it was a full blown Abby rant. Tony tried in vain to catch the first few words before giving up completely and watching the blur that had replaced her mouth dumbly. What was she doing? Of course she knew he couldn't understand her?

"Tony, It's about time you learnt to lip read and speak sign language- I mean seriously. It's been two weeks now, I know it sucks like, heaps and heaps, but your going to have to live like this for the rest of your life. Plus, I have like, monster blisters on my hands from writing all the stupid notes, bigger than the ones I got from that rock climbing gym you took me to last year. Anyway- Gibbs feels the same way, right Gibbs? Yeah, we could teach you it if you want but I know this total spunk that works as a lip reading coach, as well as owning this sick-"

"Abbs, remember how he can't hear you?" Gibbs's voice was quiet as he looked over the top of his paper, taking in Abby's vacant expression as she spoke and the confused frown DiNozzo wore as he watched her.

"That's exactly the point Gibbs! I'm glad someone around here understands!" She said turning to face Tony's lost expression.

"Well, you don't really have a choice in it, I've booked you in for four weeks of intense monster lessons-"

"Abbs, remember how I can't hear you?" Tony said slowly.

Abby smiled and looked back at Gibbs who shook his head.

"Yes Tony, haven't you been paying any attention, Mister?"

She gave in to his pleading look and took out the slightly battered notebook, scribbling down her message happily.

_I rest my case. Tomorrow- 4pm ( after your doctor's appointment ) Lip reading classes! Your sign language lessons start the day after. In the mean time you'll be having some lessons from Gibbs and I. Suck it up Mister, time to learn!_

Tony read the note and looked up, suddenly looking enlightened. He over exaggerated a head nod and breathed out.

"Ohhh!"

Abby had touched the subject he had been meaning to bring up. Obviously he needed to learn sign language and how to lip read, and fast. How else would he function? Abby and Gibbs could already sign and that was going to be a big help. Unless everybody in the world suddenly bothered to learn it too he was going to have to learn.

Tony looked wiped out, Abby glanced over at Gibbs and then back at Tony who was just staring off into space. He had only napped for twenty minutes or so and his medication was supposed to make him tired. He looked dead on his feet.

Tony was distracted from his musing by Abby tapping him on the shoulder and mouthing something accompanied by an action. She placed her hands under her head and tilted to the side - sleep. Yes, sleep. When had he gotten so exhausted? When had standing got this tough and when had his eyelid begun to sport weights? He nodded his yes.

"You staying?"

Abby nodded.

"Boss, you staying?"

Gibbs didn't reply but kept reading his paper. Abby turned to him and repeated Tony's question. He realized he had been speaking to softly, when would he ever get used to this?

"I'll head off if in a minute, mind if I have a word with him in private, Abbs?" Gibbs said to Abby checking his watch. It was only four o'clock.

"Sir Yes, sir" Abby saluted and got out her notebook.

"I'll set my alarm for a couple of hours, I've got some take away menus in the kitchen if I'm not up and your hungry, plus Ziva packed the fridge. Knock yourself out with movies, I personally recommend the second shelf, for you my lady friend." Tony said

_Gibbs wants a word before he skedaddles- I'm gonna set up camp in the living room. Go get your beauty sleep_

"Boss?"

Gibbs rose and dropped the newspaper back on the chair before strolling past Tony and into the bedroom. Abby raised her eyebrows and giggled as Tony called after Gibbs before entering the bedroom after him.

"I usually buy dinner before we get to the bedroom, Boss. But in your case I'll happily save my money!"

Gibbs gestured for Tony to take a seat on the bed while he leant casually against the wall, scribbling on his own notebook. Tony hoped the little meeting would be quick, he was having trouble focusing when all he could think of was the comfortable mattress underneath him. The scribbling continued longer than Tony expected, Gibbs seemed to be writing an essay on the paper. He had a feeling he knew what it was about.

_I spoke to the Director and the beginning of the week -said he hoped you felt better and would organize insurance and bills later. Main thing is I spoke to him about your job. You should be kissing my feet at the moment because when I first went in you were unemployed. Vance agreed to let you keep your position in the team but you will have to undergo some special training and workplace communication instruction. He can't let you in the field DiNozzo, even I know that and there is so far I can go without having my ass kicked. Believe me, I got close. It's gonna be desk work, We've got Agent Zach Brigs working with us at the moment. Vance wants us to take him on for the field when you get back, still fighting that one: he's a real pain in the ass. Get on with the sign language and lip reading, McGee is getting too comfortable at your desk._

Tony read and re-read the message and rubbed his hand over his eyes, he was so tired it was hard to process. It was something that he hadn't stopped thinking about since the explosion, but hated to think about it at the same time. He hadn't been sure if we would get his job back and had been preparing himself for a fist fight with Vance to get back in. It all seemed to simple. Gibbs had fought this battle for him, it was almost a gift.

"I don't know Boss; I'm going to have to think about it"

_There's nothing to think about DiNozzo, you've got extended sick leave and Vance is paying for your training and lessons. Abby's got you booked into every available slot at this lip reading coach and is dragging you to every sign language lesson. McGee and Palmer are thinking about learning it too. I need your ass back in the office ASAP._

"Yes Boss, It's just-"

He stopped as Gibbs sat down next to him on the bed with a sigh and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. Tony looked down at the hand in horror and then held the same expression as he looked into his boss's face.

"Physical contact. Your being nice. Are you feeling alright Boss? Maybe I did die.."

A ghost of a smile passed across Gibbs's face and he patted Tony's shoulder before letting his hand drop. Tony watched Gibbs, Gibbs watched the floor. He had no idea how long he stared at the patterns in the carpet, he was lost in thought and feeling. He had taken Tony's injury hard. He had decided in the waiting room on that first fateful day that he would not blame himself, and he didn't. He had thought logically about the situation and he knew it was not his fault and he could not have done much about the small bomb. It shook him how close he had come to loosing his agent, his friend. Gibbs wasn't a man with many friends, it was easier to not have so many; that way there was less chance of loosing them. He had had enough loosing of important people, friends and family in his life to risk more suffering. He couldn't think what he would have done if McGee hadn't been there to pluck Tony out alive, defiantly something drastic. Tony was too close a friend for Gibbs to loose. Why hadn't he told Tony that before? Why hadn't he told Tony that when he could still hear it?

"I'm glad you didn't DiNozzo. I really thought you had for a minute there, I won't leave you behind like that again." Gibbs said aloud, looking at Tony who seemed to understand what Gibbs was getting at and sat solemn on the bed.

"I should have had your six. Tony, your a good agent and I have worked with you longer than I have done with any one else, and your not gonna screw up my record now."

Tony watched Gibbs's mouth and body language as he spoke to him, he knew it didn't really matter what Gibbs had said, he knew what he had meant. He nodded slightly and continued to watch his boss, unsure of how to handle this rare occasion. Gibbs didn't seem to be saying anymore so Tony thought it best to tie it off before it got really emotional.

"Boss?"

Gibbs looked up from under his brow.

"Thanks."

_If you ever need anything Tony, just call. _The small scrappy note tied off all Gibbs was trying to say.

Tony read the message twice, making sure he hadn't imagined it. Yes, he was sure of it now, he had died.

"Well now you mention it Boss, I have a heap of dirty laundry from two weeks back, and there's this itch on my lower back thats driving me crazy.."

The head-slap was not unexpected.

"Right, well I'll pencil you in to feed me some grapes on Thursday, I'll be sure to let you know if anything else crops up."

_I mean it Tony._

"So do I Gibbs. Really, thanks..."

It was final. Gibbs patted DiNozzo's shoulder again and rose from the bed to leave. Tony grinned childishly after him-

"I don't really like the skins so you'll have to peel them off, and make sure to buy green ones, with no pips."

Gibbs ignored him. He opened the bedroom door wearily and stopped dead at the sight of Abby leaning on the wall beside the door, eavesdropping. She looked up at him like a deer caught in the headlights, her mouth gaped like a fish out of water. Excuses raced through her mind.

"Gibbs, my favourite almighty, _forgiving_, hunk of boss. I can explain!"

Tony leaned over on the bed to see what had caused his boss to stop motionless, only two things could stop Gibbs; either it was a homicidal maniac with a gun or it was Abby Scuito. It was Abby Scuito.

"I'm the favourite child now?" Tony smiled smuggly, happy to not be the only child ever caught eavesdropping on their boss's conversations. It seemed to have a more drastic air when Abby was caught. The novelty had long run out seven years ago when he was first busted.

Gibbs flicked out the lightswitch in reply and shut the door. Abby stood up and smiled.

"You leaving now?" She asked cheerfully, side-stepping around the awkward moment and moving on.

"Next time, I'm not buying you a caff-pow"

"Next time I won't solve all your cases for you." Abby said looking wounded.

Gibbs smirked and kissed Abby on the top of her head.

"He pretty much agreed to the job situation, better then nothing anyway." Gibbs said.

"I know" Abby giggled, "I heard! We did pretty well this afternoon Bossman, team-work!"

Abby held out her hand for a high five, Gibbs just looked at the hand.

"High-five, my super silver haired fox!"

Nothing, Gibbs wore an expressionless mask.

"Hey, hey! Don't leave me hanging! Arn't you going to slip me some skin? No? High-five? Scuba dive?"

Abby let her hand drop in a diving motion but the smile never left her face.

"You know you really are turning into a grumpy old man. You should get out more- socialize! Hit some clubs, new people, flashing lights, dance floors! Maybe come bowling with me and the nuns. Yes, that really bring everyone out of their shell, and comfort zone for that matter."

Gibbs looked up at the ceiling, half rolling his eyes before exiting briskly through the front door. Mission accomplished. Abby wasn't offended in the least.

**Something TERRIBLE happened my friendly Fanfiction shut-ins! ****One of my friends discovered my secret, after a short fight over the mouse the horrifying truth was revielled to my peer. Never go on fanfiction in class time, it's a sure way to get caught and have your social life shattered infront of your very eyes. Don't worry, I taped it back together with some blunt, fat lies.**

**Alriiigghhttt. Well I'm not to sure how fast I can get the next chapter up, not too long. I've got exams these few weeks, I should probably be studying but I find procrastination with my study is fueling my fanfiction writing at the moment. Yes, even my procrastination has no life.**

**Help, tips and criticism appreciated. (PS you know I'm kidding right? Love you all)**


	9. Chapter 9

**hey hey hey ! I did it, the chapter is up people.**

Tony did not wake up for dinner as he had promised, managing to roll over and wrench the alarm clock out of it's socket when he was woken by the vibrating of his bed. Abby did not blame him in the slightest- she made her way through his collection of DVD's and ordered Thai takeaway, snuggling up on his couch. She didn't have the heart to wake her sleeping friend and didn't know if she could succeed in doing so, he looked dead to the world.

Tony woke to Abby shaking his shoulder and holding up the alarm clock and disconnected plug with a frown. It was morning and the sun was streaming in from the open window. Tony rolled over moaning when Abby continued to tap him, and then her watch. He watched confused when she straightened swiftly and raised her eyebrows with her hands on her hips. He sat up and noticed what the uncomfortable lump he had rolled over was. Burt the hippo. What? Abby blatantly ignored Burt and stared at Tony disgusted.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't me!" Tony raised his hands in protest.

_Oh sure DiNozzo, blame it on the stuffed animal!_

"What? No!"

_Get up you disgusting male, I've got to get back to the lab, I'm already late and Gibbs is going to go medieval on my ass. Your appointment at the hospital is in an hour, do you want me to call Tim to take you there?_

"What? No, not McMother! I'll be fine Abby!"

_Are you sure? Gibbs will be mad_

" 'We all go a little mad sometimes' Abby, seriously I'll be fine!"

_Whatever! Up, shower, dressed, NOW._

"What? No comment on my _Psycho_ quote? _Come on!"_

Abby skidded about the apartment collecting her numerous belongings and depositing them in a pile at the front door. She had to leave but the shower was still running and she had no way of telling Tony without risking bursting in on him. She settled with leaving a note on his bed and hurrying out the apartment with her huge bundle.

Tony emerged from the bathroom not long after the scientist had left; he noticed the lack in messy possessions strewn about the living room then the note on his bed. He skimmed over it before going about the business of extracting the plastic bag that was wrapped over his arm, to protect the bandages while he was showering. The patches that covered his neck and face were coming up at the edges and sported attached fuzz around the sides. They would be coming off today; he was both relieved and apprehensive at the same time. There would be scarring, but what it would look like and how bad it would be was unknown to him. Plastic surgery was an option, but it wasn't an option at the moment. He simply could not afford it.

Tony shovelled down some Captain Crunch cereal, realizing how starved he was after missing dinner the night before. He dumped the cereal bowl in the sink, narrowly avoiding sloshing milk over his Gucci watch.

Tony amused himself for the remaining twenty minutes he had before he had to leave by scanning his emails. It was mainly junk and work related- both uninteresting. He figured he'd make a start on something he knew had to be done, not something he had not been looking forward to. He began an email addressed to his father.

He had no idea how his father would react to his latest failure, but what more was there he could do that he hadn't already done in the past? Preferably he would not react or reply at all, taking up his previous position of 'what son?' Tony learnt never to get his hopes up when the matter regarded his father. He would just have to wait and see how it turned out.

_Dad,_

_We haven't spoken since you visited a few months ago. I'm not really sure how I should explain this, so I'm just going to put it straight._

_A couple of weeks ago my team and I went to investigate a warehouse where a body had been found. Gibbs and I were involved in a bomb explosion inside the warehouse, I was injured and had tofreigbeuijgbe iurjgbejkrgbejk rgbjkkfuisdfiwe jfneirasj8439re ongv_

Tony stabbed at the keyboard in frustration, how was he supposed to explain this? He childishly wrote a string of insults and sarcastic remarks to his father. He deleted them all and shut the lid of his laptop sticking it back on the desk, leaving the email for another day. It was time to leave anyway.

Tony made his way to the hospital without much trouble, driving was easier then he had expected and it was nice to be in his car after not driving it for such a long time. He awkwardly explained his situation to the receptionist who replied on sticky posted notes, telling him it was fine and to take a seat in the familiar waiting room. He did not have to wait long before he was patted on the shoulder waved in by a cheerful looking nurse who treated him like a five year old. The clinic room was small, white and everything looked and smelt sterile. He sat on the uncomfortable bed while the nurse busied around him with an array of bandages and ointments.

She carefully unwrapped his arm first and unveiled the damaged limb. Tony averted his eyes after the first glance, he much worse things in his lifetime, but it was different when the thing was attached to you. In the worst places the skin was shrivelled, greyish and in one place, missing. There was an obvious, grotesque indentation below his left elbow. The rest of the skin was shrunken, red and scarred. It was ugly but was lacking the angry blisters that were previously there. She examined it carefully, then settled down in her chair and wrote a note to Tony, who rolled his eyes at the slow process, he just wanted to leave.

_This seems to be healing very nicely; the doctors have taken care of it well. Next time you're back here I think we'll be able to take the bandages off most of your arm. The patch under your elbow is going to take a bit longer to heal; the bandages will stay on there. I'm going to put some antibiotic cream on it for you and wrap it back up, and then we can take these ones off your face and neck._

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." Tony said, flashing his grin, hoping it might speed the process.

She covered his arm in antibiotic creams before rewrapping it tightly, thickly binding it over the more severe burns. He clenched his teeth and stared straight ahead at the eye test chart, reciting it back to front as a distraction as she tightly bound his arm. She then moved on to his face and neck, gently pulling off the dressings and examining what was underneath. She smiled at him reassuringly and rubbed some of the ointment over the wounded skin.

_Done! You're going to have to keep up the antibiotic cream for another couple of weeks, apply it three times a day- I'll give you some to take home. Speak to Stacy at reception to book your next appointment. Is there anything else I can do you for?_

"You wouldn't happen to have a mirror would you?" Tony smiled anxiously.

The nurse rummaged through the draws of her desk and patted down her pockets, as if she'd magically discover one stowed away that she had forgotten about.

_Sorry dear, the men's bathroom is down the hall and to your right, there are mirrors in there. Have a nice day._

He thanked her and made his way out of the room, half jogging to the bathroom. He flung open the door and was relieved to see he was alone. He crept nervously over to the sink with his eyes down, unsure of whether he could bring himself to look. He didn't like to admit it but he prided himself on his appearance. His team mates teased him about the amount of effort he put into his attire and appearance and he played along with their jokes, teasing them back, but he honestly cared.

It was not as bad as he had imagined, but it was not great. His skin was discoloured and shrunken, red and tender. The scar extended from the base of his neck, up the left hand side and onto his right cheek. It was ugly, and it was going to be sticking around for a while.

He exited the hospital and dawdled his way to the car, hoping to waste as much time as possible. He was not used to having so much time on his hands and didn't know what to do with the rest of the day. It was 10am and he had a whole lot of nothing planned until his sign language class tonight. Working at NCIS was demanding and the hours were long, leaving not much time for anything else. Tony usually just managed to make his way home and crash in front of a movie after work, not having the energy to do much else. Now he had all the time in the world with his extended recovery period and he had no idea what he was going to do with it all, learn to bake? He kept his head down as he made his way to the car, imagining everybody was staring at his unattractive blemish.

Tony made a decision on the car ride home, knowing it was a good one. On arriving back at his apartment he took half a minute to text Abby his success at the hospital before throwing himself into what he did best, investigating. He spent the remainder of the day researching everything to do with American Sign Language and lip reading, taking detailed notes on the subject. He practiced ASL finger spelling, read up on lip reading techniques and entertained himself with attempting it on Youtube videos. He needed to be back at NCIS as soon as possible, doing his job. He made a silent pledge to work as hard as he could to get himself back in the building sooner rather than later.

He thought himself an expert on the topic when he set out at four o'clock to the address Abby had given him. He was almost feeling confident, but this was all before he was thrown into the deep end at his first American Sign Language class.

* * *

Two weeks passed in a blink of an eye. The team worked twice as hard as usual; making up for their missing Senior Field Agent and filling his usual spot as Chief-of-annoying-the-new-agent. Agent Brigs was starting to question his decision of joining Gibbs's team, they weren't as mature and responsible as he had expected. Tony worked furiously to keep on top of his ASL and lip reading classes, desperate to rejoin his team. He attended all the classes without missing a beat and spent his time at home practising his ever growing lip reading skills with the television and internet.

The team had agreed to meet after work on Friday at their usual bar, they had been working hard lately and needed a relaxing catch up together. Nobody thought twice about inviting Tony. He was still part of the team and was expected to be there the same as the rest of them.

Tony slid next to Ziva on the familiar bar stools, the whole team were chatting happily at the bar. It was weird watching the usually chaotically loud bar in eerie silence inside his mind. It was a swirl of colour and movement and although he may not be able to hear the noise he could feel it around him. Ziva smiled at her partner as he took the seat next to her. She hadn't seen him much in the past two weeks, the team had taken on a couple of full-on cases that had them working hard. She would have to get used to the ugly blemish that was smeared down the side of Tony's face, his returning smile was only slightly dimmed by it. He kept his arm well hidden with his sleeve, it was worse than his face and still partially bandaged.

"Hey Ziva, long time no see." Tony said, he swivelled on the bar stool to face her and focused his attention solely on her mouth, praying that his practise would pay off.

"Yes, I'm not going to say it was unpleasant, it was almost like a holiday." Ziva replied, watching Tony as he frowned at her words.

"Okay... yes, thank you, Ziva." Tony nodded still frowning.

"You have no idea what I just said Tony." It was a statement.

" 'You have no idea what I just said Tony' " Tony mimicked, dropping his frown. He thanked God he had gotten out of what could have been an avid future teasing session by understanding Ziva's second sentence. Lip reading seemed harder under pressure.

"You got lucky"

"Wait, what? Say it again?"

"YOU GOT LUCKY" Ziva said, over exaggerating the words and speaking them louder, like it might help.

"No, Ziva," McGee said, appearing behind the two with a drink. "You can't over exaggerate the words, he wont get it. Just say it again but another way."

Tony was looking at Ziva then McGee, then back again. McGee had just spoken to Ziva and he hadn't caught a word of it because he hadn't been looking at Tony. They were both now looking at him and seemed to be speaking at the same time.

"Yes, yes." Ziva said shooing Tim away with one arm. " I get it McGee; so when he says 'say it again', don't actually say it again, say something similar, yes?"

"Make sure you are facing him."

Tony screwed up his face as they continued to talk to him. They were obviously speaking about him, he caught words in-between but couldn't quite string the sentences together. It looked like Tim was instructing Ziva on how to communicate with him. How humiliating.

"Hey! Remember how I'm right in front of you." Tony interrupted, annoyed.

Ziva opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Jimmy Palmer as he made his way into the little huddle. He waved obviously at Tony, sloshing his drink everywhere.

"Hey Tony!" He said, wildly throwing his arm around in front of Tony's face.

Tony rolled his eyes inwardly, he swivelled to face Palmer and pulled an insanely enthusiastic expression and waved hugely right in front of his face, mimicking Jimmy's exaggerated wave.

"Hey, hey Autopsy Gremlin! Cutting it a bit fine aren't you? Remember what happens when you're out after sunset?"

Jimmy smiled nervously, his eyes darting between the three agents as if he was checking to see if he was in some sort of trouble for gaining the sarcastic response from Tony.

"Right, sorry Tony. How's it going anyway?" Palmer said, facing Tony directly and speaking carefully.

"Alright Gremlin, alright."

Abby broke into the group and leant on the bar next to Tony.

"Abby, where's Ducky, did you leave him alone?" McGee asked looking past her for the doctor.

"No, he's talking to Gibbs"

Four heads whipped around and scanned the bar, mouths gaping. Tony's followed slower, his brow furrowing. He was lost.

"What!"

"He _actually_ came?"

"Jesus, somebody pinch me."

They spotted the two older men sitting at the bar a little way down, chatting over a couple of beers. Gibbs had never showed up to one of their group gatherings, after a couple of years they didn't bother asking anymore. It seemed he'd rather spend his time drinking bourbon alone in his basement with his boat. Tony followed their gaze and spotted his boss, finally understanding what the conversation was about. It worried him seeing his boss there, not that his presence was unwanted it was just unsettling the way he had changed recently and had been acting since Tony lost his hearing. First the moment in Tony's bedroom and now he was turning up to social gatherings. It seemed Gibbs was taking time to watch of for Tony, and Tony didn't know whether he minded or not.

Everyone turned back and glanced at Tony who was still staring across at Gibbs. His thoughts were interrupted by Abby who shook his shoulder with a wide grin on, he gave her a squeeze and realized what she was getting at.

_"Hi"_ She signed, like a salute.

"Hey there pretty lady" He said back, signing 'Hi' at the same time.

_'How are you?'_ Abby signed.

"Fabulous, Abbs." He said, signing 'I am great' as he said the words.

_'How are you're classes going?"_ Abby signed, trying to keep the conversation simple. _'Good?'_

Tony grinned in response at the question. He had expected it and had put extra care into practising these sorts of responses, hoping to impress Abby and Gibbs. She had just asked the perfect question and he put down his non-alcoholic drink to reply with his hands.

_'Classes are great, Abbs'_ He replied without speaking, fingerspelling her name, _'You are looking at the top student, top of the class. I'm pretty sure I've overtaken the tool that insists on teaching us, his plan of staying one lesson ahead of his class is failing.'_

That's what he intended to say, it came across slightly broken and inaccurate but it was incredible regarding the fact that Tony had only been learning for a couple of weeks, Abby suspected Tony had just exceeded his vocabulary, but that didn't matter. She clapped as he finished and replied quickly earning a confused frown from he friend.

_'Tony!' _She signed, beaming, _'You actually have been learning, I knew you could do it! Nobody doubted you for a second, well.. not that many seconds at least. It's going to be great, you and me and Gibbs can have totally dead-silent, secret conversations in- in- like, libraries and stuff!"_

Tony caught the gist of what she was getting at; some sort of congratulation. He looked around and realized the others were watching the two of them. He grinned cheekily at them and then looked back at Abby.

"Now Abbs, I don't know, I usually by a girl a drink before we get into things like that!"

She punched him playfully on the shoulder and leaned into him. McGee and Palmer had been watching the two of them and now turned to Tony looking intent.

"Abby, can you tell Tony that Jimmy and I are going to start learning ASL?"

Abby squealed a little and bounced on the spot as she slowly signed very basic ASL to Tony who watched it carefully. He got the message and eyed the two suspiciously, making them both take on the same type jittery nervousness. He loved how he could make the two of them act like that with a simple comment or look.

"Hmm? Out of work contact with the Autopsy Gremlin and the Elf-Lord, alone? Unarmed?" He asked tilting his head back, "I'll have to bring my lightsaber, keep you two in line.. And there will be many ground rules."

Tony held eye contact with his two co-workers but kept his body facing Abby, he slowly signed his response to her while holding an expression of suspicion with a deep frown.

_'Thats great! My next class in tomorrow, Saturday. They can come.'_ Abby giggled when he had done, watching the two other men's faces as they tried to figure if Tony was being serious or not, his body language said not. She told them what he had signed and Tony broke his dead-set expression when he saw the two questioning his response. He laughed at his own joke.

The rest of the evening passed with ease, everybody took special care on Ducky's instructions to make sure Tony was included. It was hard work on all of them but they new it was tougher on Tony who was trying to keep up with them. Plans were made that McGee would pick Palmer and Tony up at 4pm for the long three hour lesson. Tony would be partaking in one earlier in the day as well.

Tony managed a half decent conversation with Ducky and kept up with Gibbs in a sign language conversation. It was great to be around his team again but it made him realize how much he missed them. He had been strangled by hugs from Abby all evening and she managed to teach him a few signs he wouldn't learn at ASL classes, she advised him to test them out on his annoying instructor and see how he reacted.

By the end of the night he wished he didn't have to leave. Ducky had shaken his hand until it nearly fell off, Ziva had poked her tongue out at him, McGee stuttered a little and Palmer slapped him on the back. When he had approached Gibbs in the line of farewells he had grinned his usual DiNozzo sign-off and saluted his boss, he cringed as Gibbs's hand had come out and froze when it didn't hit of slap him, he patted Tony gently on the arm before signing 'see you later'. Tony was finding Gibbs's newly found niceness more than a little disturbing, in all his years he had barely muttered a straight forward compliment or shown a clear sign of friendly compassion, they were there but hidden and rare. He had said it before once, he's not Gibbs if he's nice. Tony didn't know what he didn't like about it, he was worried that the niceness was connected to pity. He did not need pity.

**REVIEWS. I know, it puts me off too when I read a story and the author is begging for reviews at the end of the chapter, but now i know where those authors are coming from. They're actually motivating, i sit reading them, grinning like an idiot and wanting to tell everybody in a 100 metre radius that someone has actually read my story. But of course I hold back, it's called dignity. LOVE YOU ALL.**


	10. Chapter 10

Tony arrived home from his lip reading coaching and chucked his backpack onto the sofa, it was filled with notes and books he had bought about sign language and lip reading. He was really taking it seriously. He looked at his watch, it was two in the afternoon, that meant he had two hours before McGee was going to pick him up. He kicked off his Armani shoes and slid onto the couch taking up the Xbox controller.

His lip reading coach: Matt, was a really nice guy. He was younger than Tony but was an expert on the subject, he knew Abby who had met him through her parents and they got along well. Matt's brother had lost his hearing when he was a kid and it had inspired him to help teach the necessary communication to people that were in the same situation.

Tony was looking forward to Jimmy and Tim coming along to his sign language class tonight, as he had warned them the teacher was a real tool and annoyed Tony a lot, so Tony did the typical DiNozzo thing to do- and annoyed him back. Mostly it was through screwing around in the class, flirting with the ladies and then pissing him off further by getting everything right. Tonight it would be more entertaining since he would have a familiar audience to perform to, other than the cluster old men with hearing aids.

Tony lazily hung around his apartment waiting for Tim to arrive. Two days earlier Margaret from next door had dropped by with a lasagna and a flower, he had no idea how she knew about his accident. Apparently she had caught Ziva, Abby and McGee breaking into his apartment to set it up for him and they had told her the news. He had stuck the small flower in a half filled coffee mug and set it on the kitchen bench. The lasagna was sitting between a couple of microwave dinners and some old pizza in his fridge.

Tony was peeling himself away from his Halo3 Xbox game when the lights in his apartment flickered on and off, Mcgee was here.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed his wallet and mobile phone from the kitchen counter before making his way to the front door. He stopped and looked into his reflection in a picture frame on his way to the door; smoothed down his hair a bit and flashed a smile at his own reflection before unlocking the door and swinging it open.

Tony exited just as McGee was about to press the door bell for a second time, he stepped out of the doorway and locked the door behind him. McGee stood to attention and put hit hand stiffly to his forehead with his palm facing out before throwing it out in a stiff salute. It was the sign for hello. Tony watched stone faced as McGee performed the gesture awkwardly, the whole thing screaming for a good teasing session. Tony just held his laughter inside and performed his reply with a stone-cold serious expression. He threw his right leg and arm out wildly to the side before whipping them inward and clicking his heels together, he thrust his hand forward into a solid salute and sent his arm flying out towards the ceiling before army-marching briskly towards the elevator. McGee groaned inwardly at his mistake before hurrying after him.

"Hop to- Solider! Keep up, Mcgee!" Tony called a little too loudly.

They entered the grimy elevator and rode down to McGee's car. Palmer was standing next to the silver Porsche Boxter and smiled as the two approached. Tony hurried forward slightly and ran his hand down the entire side of the car before patting its bonnet.

"Oh McGee, you should bring darling Portia here along more often, how are you baby?" He said speaking to the car.

McGee pointed at Tony and then to the passenger seat, clicking his fingers. Tony straightened swiftly and smiled his 100 watt DiNozzo smile at Tim.

"Tim, Timothy, Timmy-darling," He said sweetly.

"No." Tim said out loud, Tony got the message.

"My best buddy in the whole wide world?"

"No"

"Did I ever tell you, you're my hero?"

"No"

"And everything I would like to be? … Sort of..?"

"No"

"Didn't I?"

"No"

"Please Timmy? I'll be ever so careful! I'll treat her like a newborn?"

"There is no way in hell you are driving my car, Tony"

Tony gave McGee a death stare and then looked across at Palmer who had been watching the conversation flying back and forth. He was sitting in the front passenger seat craning his neck to get a better view of his bickering co-workers. Tony walked over to the front passenger seat with his eyes still focused on McGee in the death stare, he tilted his chin back and looked down at Palmer with the same look in his eye.

"Back seat, Palmer. Move it or lose it."

Jimmy reluctantly agreed and moved into the squashy backseat, his lanky legs pressing up near his knees. Tony bundled himself in and Tim started the car up and jumped a mile high as his self-confidence building CD blared over the speakers. He shut it off quickly and looked over at Tony wincing in anticipation at the teasing he was about to endure, Tony couldn't help himself when it came to Tim's CD's. But of course Tony was staring absently out of the front windscreen, ignorant to what had just happened. Tim breathed out. He was almost thankful.

"This is discrimination against the handy-capable, McGee. Are you proud now that you have butchered a helpless, disabled young man into a downward spiral of lowering self-esteem? All it could have taken was a simple joy-ride in Portia here, but no. You'd rather watch this attractive, defenseless, vulnerable man cry over something so simple as a little love and attention? I am very disappointed in you."

Tony rambled on as he rummaged through the compartments in the front of the car, looking for something incriminating to use against McGee in his teasing session. McGee watched and didn't stop him, he had already cleaned out his car in preparation for the journey. When he didn't find anything he leant back in his seat and stuck his feet up on the dashboard. McGee winced as he did so but didn't stop him.

McGee smirked at Tony's touching speech and stretched his hand out to stroke the side of Tony's face in reply. Tony jerked back and battered his hand away before spitting on his own and rubbing it on his cheek as if trying to clean the spot where McGee had touched him.

"Forget the love and attention bit, keep your dirty paws off me McPedophile."

Palmer and McGee talked on the ride there while Tony sat in silence playing with his mobile phone, it was too difficult to try and follow their conversation when he could only see half of Tim's face and none of Jimmy's.

They pulled up at the community center and the three jumped out, Tony was jittery with excitement.

"Lets go, lets go. Hop to! Move your toosh Gremlin! Oh, and don't worry- I brought the garlic." Tony said hopping from one foot to another.

Jimmy smiled cautiously at Tony, unsure of where he stood between the two men he was with, they seemed to have a closer yet slightly dysfunctional relationship with each other. They entered the center and looked about the small hall. There was a projector screen set up at the front of the room and a while board. Tables and chairs were set up facing the board like a school setting and had papers neatly laid out on them. The room was filled with a mixture of older and younger people, they were greeted at the door by a pompous looking middle aged man, with pants pulled up to his armpits. Tony scooted up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey, hey man! Long time no see!" He said playfully to the teacher who stood stiffly as Tony patted him. "What's it been like, 24 hours now? Jeez! I missed you man! I'm looking forward to this lesson, Mr. Professor guy, Sir"

The teacher narrowed his eyes at Tony and signed something harshly; Tony smiled sweetly and slid passed. Palmer and McGee both shook hands with the instructor.

"Good evening, I'm the instructor here at this American Sign Language lesson and am running the course, my name is Paul Brown. This is you're first sign language lesson?" Paul said and signed the words at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm Tim and this is Jimmy- we aren't deaf." McGee said back, he never thought he would see the day when he found a guy nerdier than he was!

"Alright, great. Most of the people here are not hearing impaired, only about 5 of the 30 people attending have hearing problems. Are you two here with anyone?" The instructor asked, obviously missing that they had arrived with Tony. The two men um'ed and ah'ed their reply, but were interrupted by Tony yelling at them from across the room, startling people around him.

"Hey Elf-Lord! Gremlin!" Tony half yelled, loud enough for them to hear. "Palmer! McGee! _Are you two deaf_? Hurry up! Stop talking to Professor Fancy-pants and get over here!"

The instructor turned back to them. Jimmy laughed nervously.

"Tony?" Paul asked flatly.

"Yeah."

"Good luck."

And the two made their way over to the tables as Paul made his way to the front of the room, switching on the projector and seating himself at the laptop. They each had a few exercise sheets set out in front of them and Tony had a load of extra books he had brought, along with a box of what looked like rubber bands. Paul started off the introduction of the class and explained what they would be learning this lesson. McGee and Palmer had clearly missed a few lessons and were just going to pick it up from there. As Paul spoke he typed his words up on the screen on the projector so the deaf people of the class read them. Tony had them sitting right up the front of the class. Tim could see that five of the seven other people in their row were staring intently at the screen as Tony was; the hearing impaired people of the class were seated up the class as to get the best view.

Paul was talking about grammar and the use of verbs and lack of words like 'be', 'are' and 'is' in sign language. He explained the different arrangement of words in a sign language sentence and made some examples. It was at about this point that the first rubber band hit him in the forehead. He blatantly ignored it. McGee felt a strange pang of empathy. He'd been in that exact position.

In the first ten minutes Tony managed to drive Paul to the point where he had to close his eyes and breath to contain himself. Tony was leaning back as far as he could go on his chair and looking back into the eyes of a young woman seated behind him. With his head resting on her desk. He signed something to her and made her giggle before speaking out loud.

"Hello there, my name is Anthony DiNozzo…And you, may I say, have incredible eyes! Are you an eye model by any chance? You could be, you know, you have excellent lash extension. The colour is fantastic too, something to do with lipochrome pigmentation: amber, nice."

Palmer and McGee watched on amazed as Tony finished all his worksheets in a flash and settled with blowing annoyingly loud bubbles with his gum. Paul walked briskly over to Tony and stood in front of him with his hands on his hips.

"Stop it, Tony. You are disrupting the class." He said to the other man, out loud.

"WHAT?" Tony practically yelled at him, cracking a smile as he stuck both his hands behind his ears. Paul signed something quickly and then folded his arms.

"I beg your pardon?" Tony squinted at him in confusion. Paul frowned deeper, knowing Tony had understood him and was faking the confusion he signed two words in reply. _STOP IT._

"Alright, Paul. Calm your farm."

Tony leaned back on his chair a little further and balanced skillfully as he signed something back after his voiced reply. It appeared to be a long sentence and left Paul red in the face. It seemed to mean something to different to what he had said.

The two sitting next to Tony were slightly impressed. Paul signed back something furiously, McGee reached forward and pulled out his own copy of an ASL dictionary and looked up the signs, raising his eyebrows when he found what they meant. Tony laughed.

The lesson finished three hours after it started. The trio walked a couple of blocks down the road to a favorite pizza place of Tony's for dinner. Palmer now walked in between them and was ten times more confident with the two then when he arrived earlier in the afternoon. It had been evident that Tim and Jimmy had been learning a little at home, Jimmy in particular and kept up with the lesson well. They were both amazed at how nobody in the class seemed to be as advanced as Tony.

They slid into the pizza place and into a small booth on the other side of the restaurant. They ordered a couple of pizzas and pulled out their books and dictionaries while they waited. Tony was surprised and slightly flattered at the effort the two other men seemed to have gone to learn ASL. They both had dictionaries and had each learned a few basic phrases by heart. The conversation they had over dinner was basically all broken American Sign Language they had gotten from the small books, finding nouns and verbs and stringing sentences out of them.

Tony wasn't sure if Jimmy and Tim knew how much this meant to him, them learning Sign Language and coming with him to the classes. They said they planned to come to every one that they could make. It was nice to know they he wasn't the only one that had to put the hard work in for this to all work out. Underneath the main reason for his hard work in the coaching and lessons, apart from the obvious need for normality, was something that Tony hadn't quite come to terms with, something he was oppressing. He couldn't sit still for long anymore, not that he could before. But this was different. He had been hiding from himself, and hiding from his thoughts, every time he didn't have something to do or something to throw himself into his mind would wander. He had no control over the taunting thoughts that cropped up inside him and the only way he could delay them for a little longer, or soften them a little was to find something else to do and focus completely on it.

Tim knew that Tony had refused to see a councilor, it had been predictable. There had been an obvious change in Tony since the incident, that was completely expected though, it was impossible for him not to be changed by it, but Tim had picked up on something. He had kept his theory to himself until an elevator conversation with Gibbs. Gibbs had pulled the emergency switch and plunged himself and the other agent into the eerie blue light. McGee had stood there nervously forcing himself to keep eye contact with his boss. Gibbs voiced his concern for DiNozzo indirectly and had touched a little on Tim's new theory. After a nervous battle with himself to spit the words out (He still couldn't handle being in such a close proximity alone with his boss), Tim managed to voice his opinion. They both agreed that Tony's miraculous change to diligent, hard-working young man overnight might be something they should be slightly concerned about. Tony needed his friends.

The drive home was a lot different to the one on the way to the community center. Tony sat himself facing Palmer without his seat belt on and the two of them badgered McGee the whole way there about a mystery woman. Tony had found an image of an attractive young woman on McGee's phone at the restaurant and had been tormenting him ever since. McGee cursed himself for being so careless, he had grown slightly lazy over the month Tony had been absent from work; ordinarily he would not have been as careless as to leave a photo like that on his phone and usually went to great extremes to hide personal items and such from his co-worker. Lucky this one was only a picture of him and his niece. Tony was yelling questions and taunts out and Palmer was communicating any slight replies Tony might have missed across to him. Tony grew board of the game and let the idea tickle his mind, that maybe McGee's claims were true and it was in fact his niece.

By the time they arrived at Tony's apartment to drop him off, Tony was feeling extremely car sick from sitting the other way. He staggered out the car still rambling about American football as McGee backed the Porsche away to drop Palmer home.

Tony pushed open the front door and flung his bag of books into the kitchen, he kicked the door closed behind him and slothed his way into his bathroom to take a shower. His mood seemed to drop the moment his friends had driven away, back into the cold and dark apartment by himself again. Whoopee. He stripped off his shirt and stood staring at himself in the mirror, it was ugly. He hated the strange splodge that ran from his cheek to his neck and his arm was an unsightly mess, still partially bandaged: at least he could hide it.

His mood darkened. He just stood and stared at himself in the mirror but not really seeing his reflection properly.

He had been with a lot of girls before and he hadn't been shy about it. He was getting older now though and he still wasn't sure where he was at. No matter what his teammates and friends seemed to believe, he wasn't as superficial at they thought. He hated that they thought that, he was quite the opposite. It was easier to appear ignorant than portray his emotions. And now it seemed a little too late, who was going to go with the blemished, deaf, wreck? Nobody. That was always the answer in the end. Nobody, he was alone in the silence.

He cursed. He missed his life, he missed his old life. But this was his life now, and would be until he died. It may be rid of Sinatra and the Sean Connery accent, but it was better than no life at all. He had to keep telling himself that.

God, why did good days always end like this? He mentally Gibbs-slapped himself and spun away from the mirror. He had to keep away from these sorts of thoughts, he had to keep positive. He ran a hand through his hair and started the shower. Alright, what was the sign for shower? He tried to remember it and practiced it in a sentence feeling slightly stupid but thankful for dumb distraction. It took his mind of his mind.

He really needed to get back to work.

**I take suggestions, criticism and comments.  
I get obscenely excited over them actually, even more so if they aren't demeaning.  
PS. Hint, hint.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A day in the bullpen (minus Tony).**

McGee stared at his computer screen with a look of great intensity on his face, his eyes bored into the screen and perspiration was forming on his brow. His mission was not all that complex, but he'd die if he failed now. He had been training and working for this moment for four months now and he was not going to be defeated now. He was only 2100 points away from beating his high score! All he had to do was get Helga the lightning camel to deliver the last of her packages to her awaiting customers and he would have beaten his four month standing record.

"No!" He moaned, he dropped his head onto the keypad and banged it over and over. Helga had failed her simple mission. "No! No! No!"

Ziva's eyes flickered up from her monitor to watch McGee punishing himself yet again, this was the third time this week he had put on this sort of show. She cast her eyes over to the probationary agent working diligently at McGee's old desk. McGee now sat in Tony's seat, but Tony's idle cardboard box of possessions sat on the floor beside him, cautiously reminding McGee 'Don't get to comfortable, McGee!' - Abby had written it on the side of the box.

"Lose again?" Ziva asked, picking absently at her lip.

"Yeah," McGee sighed "I went out on a limb and tried to send the blue packages early" He mumbled into the palm of his hand as he lent against the desk. Ziva frowned at him.

"What happened to your limbs?"

"Nothing." He mumbled, too disheartened to explain.

They drifted into silence, slightly broken by Ziva tapping her pen against her teeth.

"Quiet day" Ziva stated.

"Qui - iet day." McGee agreed drawing out the words.

The bullpen lapsed back into silence, the only noises coming from Agent Brig's keypad as he seemed to be working furiously at something. Ziva watched him as she leaned back into her desk comfortably.

They had only been there an hour and didn't have a case, they were just gradually sifting their way through some non-urgent paperwork and skimming over some old cases. Agent Brigs seemed to be working at the forlorn work like his life depended on it, Ziva had the sneaking suspicion it had something to do with proving himself to Gibbs, it's a shame nobody told him that wasn't the way to do it. Gibbs was in MTAC and there was nothing much to do but sit and wait for something tragic to happen to someone connected with the Navy, it was sad but it was true.

The silence was broken as the new agent dropped his hands from his keypad and looked up with an irritated expression.

"Shouldn't you two be working?"

Ziva and McGee's heads snapped up, Ziva raised an eyebrow and looked over at McGee, who tilted his head to the side.

"No." They said at the same time.

"We're meant to be doing this paperwork though? " He asked, throwing up his arms.

"Shut up, Probie" The two agents said at the same time once again.

"This is the Major Case Response team of NCIS, the leading team. Don't you think you should do more than make statues out of paperclips and practice throwing waste paper into the bin?"

Ziva and McGee looked at each other then at the younger agent who realized he was treading on uneven ground. It was true that they were not currently working hard but over the past weeks they had been working to make up for a missing agent even though Brigs was there, he hardly knew a thing of what to do. They spent their time explaining procedures and answering his obvious questions, then helping him catch up on all the work he had screwed up or missed. And now he was telling them that they were slacking off? Brigs tactfully shut up.

Nobody had mentioned it, not even Gibbs- but it seemed as though McGee had changed profoundly since DiNozzo's leave. As Tony would unintentionally begin acting like Gibbs when their lead agent was away, McGee had come out of his shell now he was not in so much danger, and silently taken the title of _Very _Special Agent Timothy McGee, taking on Tony's role. Ziva noticed it and had seen his confidence grow from the minute he had taken up at Tony's desk. It wasn't the boost in self esteem and confidence that annoyed Ziva though, it was the way he displayed his newly found poise by imitating DiNozzo-actions; things Tony did.

Tony had been out of the hospital for two months now, and absent from work for almost three. He wasn't expected back any time soon from the director, Vance had had long discussions with the affected team about new procedures and communication work-place lessons and lectures they were required to attend before Tony's return, which was indefinite in Vance's eyes. But Vance's eye's only.

Gibbs made his way to the bullpen brandishing a hot coffee, he was just about to enter when he heard Ziva's voice rising in anger.

"What McGee? Gibbs certainly does not have dead people stashed away in his closet!" Ziva was saying having risen to her feet, "I cannot believe you would suggest such a thing!"

"It doesn't_ actually_ mean he has a skeleton stored in his closet, Ziva. Calm down!"

"You just told me you believe Gibbs has a few skeletons in his closet, yes?"

"When you say somebody has a 'skeleton in the closet' it doesn't actually mean - "

Gibbs smiled slightly to himself as he heard McGee's voice explaining in pained exasperation, he chose this point to interrupt and enter the bullpen pretending he had heard nothing of their conversation.

"Who has a skeleton in their closet, McGee?" Gibbs asked casually and watched as his agent straightened swiftly in his seat, his mouth agape and his eyes darting to Ziva for help, she only narrowed her own. From the look on Gibbs's face he knew exactly who McGee thought was holding the skeletons.

"Uh.. No - What? Uh.. Nobody, Boss - I was just, er - explaining to Ziva here - "

"Save it, McGee. There's one in Fairfax"

"One what, Boss?" McGee furrowed his brow.

"Lieutenant Commander, found dead in his closet - Grab you're gear!"

* * *

McGee snapped a photograph of the dead sailor spilling out of a linen closet on the second floor of his family home, it was a particularity gruesome sight, the man had been stabbed in the eye with a wire hanger and then twice in the stomach with a knife. McGee stood staring at the body, wracking his brain and trying to figure out why this scene seemed so familiar.

"You alright Mcgee?" Ziva asked, tapping him on the shoulder gently. He looked worried.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine Ziva, I swear I've seen this before though. I could swear I saw this is a movie or something."

"Hmm," She muttered, a silence lapsed at the start of a familiar conversation, it was filled with thoughts of their missing partner.

"Halloween, 1978, John Carpenter. The murderer is murdered: stabbed in the eye with a wire and then in the gut with a knife."

A voice said behind them, they spun around to face a nervous looking Zach Brigs, he cast his eyes down and made a fuss out of pulling on his laytex gloves. The two agents gave him hard expressions and rolled their eyes at his words, he seemed to have genuinely upset them this time and he couldn't figure out why, all he had done was tell them the movie they were trying to remember. Why had they gotten upset over _that_?

"So, Uh - you just want me to, err - take photos?" Brigs asked cautiously.

"Yes, Brigs. That is your job, do the job that you have been doing for six weeks now. The same one you do every time we have a case, yes? Survey the crime scene and gather information, as you were trained to do." Ziva said to him slowly, as if he was a child.

"Uh yes, sorry Ziva, Uh - Agent David." He said fumbling with his camera.

The team looked up as Gibbs strolled onto the landing looking serious, he inspected the body for himself and turned to his agents, notebook in hand.

"What do we got? Brigs?"

The younger agent looked startled at the mention of his name and stared wildly at the scene, he had only just arrived and had hardly had anytime to look around and survey the room.

"Uh, well.. Boss, Sir I-"

"Ziva, McGee. What do you got? Does anyone have _anything_?" Gibbs impatiently interrupted Brigs's slow start.

"Lieutenant commander Jackson Crawford, 45 year old male, scheduled to head over to the Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan next week." McGee said skimming through his notebook and interviews. Gibbs nodded. Ziva started up where McGee left off:

"I talked to his neighbour, he lived here with his wife and two children for four years. His wife found him early this morning when she arrived home from her yoga class. She is being treated for shock outside now, she was too distraught to give me to much information when I spoke to her. Apparently their family car is missing- a Ford Focus."

"Good, Ziva-"

"Go check on the wife and bring her in for an interview." Ziva interrupted, already knowing what she was expected to do.

"Yep, McGee-"

"Get the wire and knife to Abby, finish up in this room and then put out a BOLO on the missing car."

"Good, Brigs?"

The younger agent stared at his boss before averting his eyes cautiously. He panicked inwardly, he had been trying in vain for the past few weeks to live up to his boss's expectations and impress him, which Ziva and McGee defiantly weren't helping with. He looked about the room.

"Take.. Photographs?"

Gibbs stared him down.

"Don't.. take photographs..?"

Gibbs stared harder, inwardly enjoying the discomfort he could bring with a simple look.

"Go.. do.. something.. Uh?

Gibbs couldn't let the agent suffer any longer, it was cruel yet funnily entertaining.

"Do your job Brigs, and quickly." He said as he strolled out of the room, Brigs sighed and leaned back onto the wall in relief.

"Yes boss!" He called after the intimidating lead agent.

It was frustrating having somebody as green as Zach Brigs on his team, it put him back to the time they had first taken on Tim McGee. Lucky Tim had grown a spine in the years that he had worked with them, DiNozzo speeding along the process. Gibbs wasn't fond of breaking into new agents and Zach almost seemed slower than the average one, not catching onto any ground rules and the blunt do's and don't s Gibbs had set. It was obvious that his two other agents were not helping out the Probie, probably for the same reason that he was torturing him so much, and the same reason he was fighting with the director every day over the new agent. They missed DiNozzo.

Gibbs hadn't seen DiNozzo recently, Tony hadn't reacted well when he realized that Gibbs had been watching out for him. Tony had visually begun trying to re-prove himself the moment he had noticed the unusual attention and care Gibbs was trying to show his distressed agent. He had taken on the tough guy act and immediately hidden all ailments and signs of weakness which included not taking his medication when in the presence of his boss, and refusing rest. Gibbs had sensibly taken Ducky's hint when he had politely voiced the reaction Gibbs's attention had earned from the senior field agent, and backed away a little bit.

Gibbs mentally shook himself, his mind had been drifting like that a lot lately, he was at a crime scene and there was a job to be done. He needed to get into the right frame of mind and focus on the task at hand.

The team cleared up the crime scene and interviewed everybody available before taking their evidence and following Dr. Mallard's autopsy van back to NCIS. Brigs, Ziva and McGee all drifted back to the bullpen to start up on their research while Gibbs headed out to buy a coffee, catching some time alone while his team worked on the case and Abby and Ducky were still processing. He had gotten into the habit over seven years, of disappearing at about this time for his seventh coffee, it was around this time that his team rushed into their usual childish facetiousness while they competed to gain the information which would gain the most praise from their boss.

He returned, coffee in hand to find the bullpen in productive silence. It had been such a forced habit over seven years of working with DiNozzo, he expected to have to waltz in, deliver a grounding Gibbs-slap or two to settle his team down and waste a minute getting them to focus. He couldn't get used to Tony's absence and it was almost chilling walking into such a productive workspace.

"Anything?" He asked, walking up to the wide screen beside McGee's desk.

The team proceeded to brief him in on the information they had gathered, McGee and Ziva fought to deliver theirs first before looking at him in anticipation. They still hadn't heard Brig's findings. Gibbs turned his back on the two other agents and looked expectantly at Brigs.

"Uh, yes. Sir - " Brigs said, reading Gibbs's expression.

"I spoke to two of Crawford's colleagues, said he had no obvious issues with any other work-mates except for a Daniel Pears. Apparently the two got into an argument over a mutual friend outside of work- Bonnie Sampson about a month ago. Spoke to the station manager and Pears hasn't checked in since Monday, Boss. Bonnie Sampson works at Stacy&Sue's shoes in Fairfax, I couldn't get much from the two colleagues but apparently Pears and Sampson broke up at the beginning of the year after a long-term relationship, Crawford and her started dating about three months ago. I guess that's a motive? I ran a background check for Pears, looks as though he got into some trouble in West Verginia last year for getting physical with a complaining neighbour. I've put out a BOLO on Pears- I uh- hope that's okay, we've got no hits on the Ford Focus."

Everybody continued to look at the probationary agent, putting him on edge. This was the first time Brigs had managed to spit out a considerable amount of useful information without asking for assistance or reassurance. He would usually stop mid sentence and glance around at the team, as if to check he wasn't about to loose his job for saying something wrong. He had obviously out done the other two agents on the unofficial information completion, they stood watching him with narrowed eyes. Had Tony been there, being the one bold enough to mutter what they were all thinking internally. Ass kisser.

The three agents watched their lead agent in anticipation for his response, each holding their breath for slightly different reasons.

" Yeah? You didn't think to bring Bonnie Sampson in?" He asked heading to his desk. McGee and Ziva breathed out slightly, Brig's shoulders sagged.

"I'll do that now, Sir"

"Yep, and stop calling me 'Sir'"

"Yes, sorry Sir, Uh - Gibbs, Boss"

Brigs's ongoing quest to gain his boss's acceptance seemed pointless, he had thought he had gained something and gotten somewhere with his last piece of work but his boss had hardly battered and eyelid. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and picked up the phone to call Bonnie Sampson in.

He had heard of Anthony DiNozzo around the office before, everybody knew who was on the Major Response Team. He had worked two floors down from his current team but had seen the senior field agent from a distance on a couple of occasions. The first time Tony had been standing, one foot pressed firmly into McGee's stomach and his two hands tugging roughly at McGee's keypad which had somehow become super glued to McGee's his fingertips. The other time Brigs had ventured onto the unfamiliar floor he had been one to witness Tony standing boldly on his trembling desk, hollering for everybody's attention as he had misplaced his wallet.

He had no idea how he was supposed to live up to DiNozzo's record and reputation. He was brought into the team to help fill the missing agent's position. All that he had heard about Tony from around the workplace was that he was a charming yet childish, prank-pulling though an extremely potent and capable agent with a reputation of success.

This mystery man seemed to have it all, from what he had heard from across the building. He was successful with the ladies, was successful with his occupation and had somehow, with methods Brigs only dreamed he could discover, been successful in unlocking Leroy Jethro Gibbs's respect, trust and loyalty.

From the minute the new agent had sat himself down at his desk he knew that he would never be accepted in this team, he was just keeping the seat warm until Tony's return, they were pretty much his instructions and everybody knew it, he was a temporary, a substitute and soon he would be returning from the glamour of the highest team to the quiet, computer-plinkning labs a few floors below. Brigs had almost been excited on being told of his reassignment before he really thought in depth about the situation. He was an inexperienced agent being moved to a high pressure team, a replacement for a renound agent with a list of gold stars on his chart. His happiness shifted when he had realized what it would have meant for DiNozzo, while he was getting pumped for a new occupation DiNozzo was re-teaching himself to function with a vital sense down. Seeing the faces of his new team on his first day, it was almost as if he was their constant reminder.

Gibbs sculled the last of his coffee before heading down to Abby's lab, he'd given her enough time. He glanced up as somebody slipped into the elevator beside him, Ziva looked up hesitantly.

"Gibbs" She said as the doors slid shut.

"Ziva?"

She looked at him seriously, her brown eyes met his and they both held a steady gaze. A moment passed before she broke the eye-contact and stared about the elevator while she gathered her thoughts, then looked back at her boss who was still watching her closely. He could see her internal battle with feelings and questions and watched as her mind sorted out how to string them into sentences. Ziva's eyes glanced about the space, she had slipped into the elevator on sudden impuse, but now she was here she didn't know what to say. She swallowed and opened her mouth.

"I was just-" She started, slightly put off by the fact Gibbs hadn't blinked since the doors had slid shut. "I was just wondering.."

It seemed only a moment ago she had her thoughts and questions straight and laid out in her mind.

"I know." Gibbs stated, turning to face the doors.

"Well.. I _don't_ know." Ziva stated, suddenly frustrated. Gibbs looked her in the eye with a questioning expression even though he knew where she was heading.

"We've been dealing with an incompetent agent for months, Gibbs. None of us are co-operating or getting along, the team is struggling socially with each other. Not to mention struggling in our efficiency with handling the work-load, Brigs hardly knew how to file an evidence report! It is affecting our ability to work sufficiently as a team together, having the potential to directly influence the quality of our work, I -"

"I know, Ziva."

"And I still don't know."

"He'll be back soon, Ziva. Hold on." The elevator dinged but they both remained where they stood standing in silence.

"He'd better be, the _both _of them have me just about 'flopping my pig'!"

Gibbs's lip twitched slightly, he pulled it back into place and stepped out of the elevator, he could feel Abby's music pulsating through the floor.

"What?" Ziva asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." He stated matter-of -factly, Abby clomped up to the two in her platform shoes, her pigtails swishing; she was clutching a large unidentifiable egg shaped object and was looking extremely excited about it. Ziva held up a finger to Abby who was just about to open her mouth and turned back to Gibbs.

"_What?_" She asked, not letting it drop.

"Flipping my lid." He said, referring to her mistaken idiom.

Abby wrapped an arm around Gibbs and hugged her strange object a little closer, reassuringly patting him on the back.

"Oh, Gibbs! It's alright, sometimes we all feel that way every once in a while. I find the best thing for when I'm about to loose my marbles is camomile tea! I also know all these awesome relaxation techniques in my crystal healing sessions, we can try some this afternoon with some aroma-therapy, I find YlangYlang oil particularly relaxing when I'm upset..."

Ziva watched as Abby lead Gibbs into her lab, her eyes narrowing in confusion. Gibbs shot a quick look at her over Abby's shoulder. Not being able to make much sense of the situation she thought it best just to retreat back to the elevator.

**Please review? Please? **

**Forgive my lateness- wow, total mind blank!  
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the reviews, I love you all! **

**NOW: I am staring at a fat internet add on the fanfiction site as I type this. I've seen it quite a few times already. Whats it saying about fanfiction users when the advertising on this site is entitled 'Geek2Geek' and goes on to say 'YES, Geeks _should_ be appreciated'. HMMMM?**

**I rest my case  
**


	12. Chapter 12

Tony was shaken from peaceful sleep by the violent vibrating of his mattress. He moaned internally and rolled over, the vicious vibrating continued and forced him to stumble out of the bed.

He shuffled sleepily out of his bedroom and into the main living space of his apartment. It was a Sunday and he had allowed himself a small sleep in. Picking sleep out of his eye he made his way through the chilly apartment zombie-like and to his desk where his lap top was set up on a mound of paper.

He had been off work for what felt like years now but was only a few months, he had been physically ready to return weeks ago. His arm was no longer bandaged, he kept it covered at all times now, the third degree burn scar was particularly hideous. But he was off all medication and was feeling back to his usual self, he had even ventured to the gym a couple of times last week. The only thing stopping him waltzing back into NCIS was Vance and the ASL and work-place communication tests he would hopefully be undergoing tomorrow. All he needed was a few lousy documents certifying him as competent enough to work efficiently at NCIS before he could return.

He had already attended three lectures that he had been required to attend and Vance had pretty much signed him off on the required ASL and lip reading classes. He was pretty much fluent in ASL now, he had been working so hard at it. The lip reading would take a bit longer but he was definitely getting there.

He jiggled his leg nervously as his emails loaded on the laptop, he was expecting the confirmation email from Vance, the 'all clear' for him to start up again when he had the papers. He swallowed hard when the unopened email popped up, from the director of NCIS. Tony and Vance had hardly spoken, only sending quick emails with instructions and questions.

The email was short, precise and to the point. Yes, he could go do the tests and get the papers. When he had done so he was required to come into the office and meet with Vance, to finalize everything before he could begin work.

Tony smiled to himself and spun around on the chair in celebration. He had already booked the testing for tomorrow, it would take all day but he had managed to set them all up to be on the same day to get them over and done with. He was quietly confident in himself, he had been working so hard it would be difficult not to pass.

Now he had woken up quite a bit more, he ventured into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee while thinking about his plans for the day. It was a Sunday and he had no coaching or classes to attend, he decided not to waste the whole day studying for the tests; it would only make him nervous and he knew everything by heart. Planning to study in the evening he drained the last of his coffee, showered and dressed. He needed to pay a visit to the shops for groceries but had nothing else in particular he had to do.

He sat back on the couch eating a burnt piece of toast and staring vacantly at the paused image of 'Speed' the movie, he had been watching the night before. He could call Abby or Palmer and see what they were doing, or McGee? Check if they wanted to meet up at some point on their day off.

The group had been an immense help supporting him over the past weeks. Tony had no idea how to show his gratitude. He had a gnawing, tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach. It was churning with nervousness but more with excitement about his return to work. He had literally been going mad over the past weeks, once catching himself wandering about the empty apartment reenacting half the scenes in 'Diamonds Are Forever', playing Sean Connery. He had the urge to send an urgent email to his team, announcing his triumphant return. He held on, after all he had been replaying the moment over and over in his mind since the day he had exited the hospital doors. He had to keep it a surprise, well, as much of a surprise as you can keep from well trained investigators. He knew Gibbs would be hot on his heels but McGee and Ziva were pretty much clueless, Abby could would probably try to weasel it out of Gibbs, but Gibbs knew how to keep a secret.

He gazed over at his mobile, his fingers itching. He was so excited and all it would take was one measly text message to his team and his secret would be out. He reached over and snatched up the phone and flipped the top, tapping at the keys as he composed a new text to both McGee and Abby.

_'Hey, Hey Kiddies, anyone want to grab a coffee sometime? It's all in the grind, Sizemore. Can't be too fine, can't be too coarse. This, my friend, is a science.'_

He smiled to himself at his own message before dropping the phone in his lap and taking another bite of the dry toast. He had held on to his excitement and sent the coffee invite instead. It wasn't long before his phone was vibrating with a new message received. It was McGee-

_'What are you on about? If you're talking about getting a coffee, no. Everyone got called in late last night, gotta case. We're all here if you were gonna ask anyone else.'_

Tony couldn't help feeling slightly left out and disappointed- all the more reason to be pumped about going back, he was just starting up a reply when his phone vibrated again, this time from Abby.

_'Black Hawk Down, 2001. Too easy. That is NOT science, but science is what I am doing now. Sorry Tony! Bossman called us in last night, we've got a weekender. :( PS. You're new name is Tony Stark- I finally watched it.'_

Tony smiled at Abby's reply. Tony Stark was Iron Man's name off the movie 'Iron-Man', he had been pestering Abby to see the movie for months. He closed her message and continued on with his reply to McGee's.

_'Come on McGoozle! Black Hawk Down, 2001, Ridley Scott? I thought you were meant to be smart? Whats the case?'_

McGee didn't take long to reply-

_'Murdered marine in Norfolk.'_

_'Beautiful, you at your desk? Everyone there?'_

_'Yeah? Yes, they are.. Why?'_

_'ALRIGHT! Go on instant messenger, McQuickly!'_

Tony heaved off the leather couch and scooted over to his desk and flipped on his laptop, still clutching his phone. He fumbled about and closed a couple of tabs, then brought up his instant messenger- McGee was online, he pulled up a conversation. This was much cheaper and quicker than texting.

_'McGoo! Being a rebel in class?'_ He typed up quickly.

_'What do you want Tony?'_

_'Nothing, bored. So Gibbs and Ziva are there then?'_

McGee felt bad for Tony, being left out of the work at home. It was somewhat understandable having him nosing about on the case.

_'Yeah, Gibbs is in MTAC. Ziva and Brigs are here.'_

_'I see, now tell me something my dear Probalicious. Where are you currently seated?'_

McGee swallowed slightly as he sat in the NCIS building and shut his eyes as he typed up his response nervously.

_'Uhh.. You're desk? I have to; Brigs is in mine.'_

_'I see. Interesting.'_

_'What?'_

_'Have you, or have you not touched my Mighty Mouse stapler? Answer quick McGoo or I'll know you're lying!'_

_'No! No! I haven't! Abby already accused me, she dusted it for prints, it's clean!'_

_'Fine...'_

_'What?'_

_'Alright. Lets play a game?'_

_"Tony, come on. I'm supposed to be working. Gibbs will get me in trouble'_

_'Your such a phylum cnidaria!'_

_'...Jellyfish?'_

_'Spineless, Mcgee.. Truth or dare?'_

_'What? No, come on, Tony!'_

_'?'_

_'Alright, truth?'_

_'Wrong. Dare or dare?'_

_'Fine. Wait a second, Brigs has screwed something up again.'_

Tony spun around on his chair with wearing a goofy grin, he still managed to get at McGee when he wasn't even in the same building. He waited half a minute before McGee announced his return on the messenger, by this time Tony had thought up his plan.

_'Yeah, I'm back.. '_

Tony was about to type up when a his screen flashed with an alert, somebody else had logged on, Ziva was now online. Before he had a chance to do anything else his screen flashed again, Ziva had started a new conversation with him and added in McGee.

_'I knew it.'_ Ziva's message popped up. Tony laughed to himself and imagined the wordless conversation that Ziva and McGee were probably having with each other across the room, avoiding Gibbs and Brigs. Ziva would be upset about being left out of the conversation and McGee would splutter slightly and come up with no reasonable response. Tony typed up his own message in the mean time.

_'Ziiivvvvaaaa! Nice of you to join the show! Now, hush a little- gather around.. Campfire! McGee- back to the dare.'_

* * *

Back at the NCIS office McGee and Ziva appeared to be working, Brigs shot them a quick side glance before returning to his own research. Ziva was staring at her computer screen apparently reading something intently, but not typing. She wore a slight smile. McGee on the other hand was typing furiously and frowning. Brigs turned back to his computer and sifted through the matches on his search, he was concentrating hard, his fingers typing furiously and his eyes were stuck on the screen. He'd hit something solid and it looked like he was on the verge of a breakthrough. He was slightly distracted as McGee rose from his desk and bent to the floor next to him, rummaging in a small cardboard box, the 'Restricted, Don't You Dare Touch It, I'll Know If You Do, Don't Make Dust It For Prints Again' cardboard box, as Abby like to call it. Brigs only glanced at him briefly before turning back to the screen, right now murder was more important than whatever McGee was doing. He then spent ages finalizing his findings and setting them out simply as not to confuse his boss (something he had managed to pick up in his stay in the bullpen), when he felt something tingle on the back of his neck.

He had been so focused on the screen that he had not noticed McGee sneaking up behind him, brandishing a bottle of Super-Stick super glue and a small box of sparkly sequins. He jumped up in fright when he turned to see McGee squatting behind his chair. Brigs turned around rapidly trying to get a glimpse at whatever he had been doing to the back of his chair. McGee put his hands up in surrender and backed off a little as Ziva let out a laugh.

"Uh- Yeah, Brigs. Zach I was- Look it's not anything against.. I.." McGee said. His smile dropped slightly, Brigs looked furious. Brigs stared down at the back of his desk chair. McGee had obviously been kneeling behind him and working at it for quite a while, he had no idea how he'd missed it. McGee had managed to super glue tens of the glistening sequins to spell out a word on his chair, he had not managed to catch him before it was finished. It read 'PROBALICIOUS', around the outside of the word were super-glued star and heart decorations.

Brigs stared up at McGee with eyes wide. McGee muttered something and hurried back to his desk. It was then that Brigs noticed McGee's computer monitor was turned to face Brig's desk. A web-cam sat on top, a green light flickering. McGee grabbed the monitor and swung it back around, but not before Brigs caught a glimpse at another man his head tilted back in laughter on the other screen. McGee had been video-calling.

"Alright, I know you don't like me! I've got it! I tried to ignore it, everything- but this has gone way too far! I know that brand of glue! It's almost impossible to find, you have to get it imported it's so strong? I wont be able to get this off!" Brigs glared at the two other agents, knowing Ziva was somehow involved. The tone in his voice was surprisingly menacing, he had taken the light-hearted joke badly.

"Brigs! Boy, I'm sorry! I dunno.. He bullied me into it!" McGee stuttered glancing back at the screen. He dropped the glue and sequins back into the cardboard box and gave it a good kick. Ziva put her hands up in surrender.

"God, how old are you? You both act like five year olds, now you're telling me you were bullied into doing this? By who? Give me a break!" Brigs said, throwing his jacket onto his desk and folding his arms.

"Calm down, Brigs. If you want we can get you a new chair?" Ziva asked, as surprised as McGee at Brigs's reaction.

"I know what you're trying to do! Don't tell me I don't know because I do!" Brigs declared. Ziva looked at McGee who shrugged, slightly confused.

"Um, yes." McGee said, his eyes glancing upstairs, hoping Gibbs didn't return before they had calmed the junior agent down.

* * *

Tony stared intently at his laptop screen and watched almost proudly at McGee inched his way over to his replacement and knelt down beside his victim. He had trained him well. It was amazing how oblivious the other agent seemed to be, if only Tony had been working with this guy, it would of been so much fun. Tony had to admit McGee's handy work seemed pretty neat, the decorations were the finishing touches, Tony was glad he had remembered the sequins, hearts and stars he kept in his draws for a rainy day.

Brigs finally noticed and looked horrified at the sight of his chair. Tony only had time to watch as Brigs peered suspiciously into the camera before McGee swiped in back to face it's normal way. Tony waited patiently, chuckling to himself. He could still see McGee raising his arms and shrugging before pointing a blaming finger back at the camera. Tony only chuckled harder.

A few minutes passed and Tony grew bored, he was instantly snapped out of it when Brigs came into the picture, pushing McGee out of the way and turning the screen to face him. Tony stared into the Probationary Agent's face, Brigs looked surprised and seriously pissed off. Tony sat leaning back in his chair, his arms folded and his knees pressed up to the desk where his laptop sat. When he saw Brig's face he remained in the same position, plastering on a 100 watt smile and raising his hand to his forehead saluting the agent, he hoped McGee had his speakers turned on.

It didn't take Brigs long to recognize Anthony DiNozzo, he had a deep scar running down the side of his face and smiled cheekily at him. He couldn't help but stare at him for a second, trying to organize his thoughts. He had no idea how to react. DiNozzo mock saluted him and waited for his response, he waited a little longer as Brigs looked up from the monitor nervously at somebody else, then back at Tony. Brigs's hand came into view and hovered slightly at his brow, he looked as if he was having an internal battle with himself. It hovered there before he let it drop. It was a failed sign for hello. Tony's laughter rang muffled through the speakers on McGee's desk.

Tony lent forward and spoke into the small laptop speaker.

'Good morning so far?'

_'Not particularly' _Brigs typed back, smart enough to remember to type it.

'McGoo really is a rude, egocentric, pompous twit. One hard-core being actually, I'd steer clear of him if I were you, he's one bad-ass kid!' Tony said, nodding seriously and refolding his arms. Brigs straightened and swallowed. He furrowed his brow and searched for a reply to write. 'Or I mean, you could just do what I do when ickle McProbie-wan-kenobi steps out of line, just slap him silly!'

Brigs realized he was being made fun of.

"Hey, are you hearing any of this?" Tony asked before moving forward and typing up his message just in case, as he focused on the keys he missed the scene that was playing out on the screen. Brigs had looked up suddenly, his mouth agape and his arm pointed accusingly at McGee. Brigs was pushed back a little as Gibbs stepped in front of the screen to stare down DiNozzo.

Tony hadn't noticed Gibbs's appearance and continued to type with over exaggerated actions, using one finger on each hand to type out the message. He made a big show of pressing the enter key, raising his hands into the air in triumph, only to lower them gingerly when he saw Gibbs's face large on the screen in front of him. The message popped up beside it.

_' So how's work turning out for you? Now tell me, is Papa-Bear-Gibbs treating you well? There's not much to getting on his good-side, I'll let you in on the little secret- it's all in the foot massages, sure way to earn his - -'_

The message sprung up on the screen. Gibbs read it while DiNozzo rearranged his face. Brigs and McGee stood either side of Gibbs looking over his shoulders at the screen. McGee was smiling. Gibbs raised an eyebrow as Tony held up his arms to the screen as if presenting Gibbs's face.

'Speak of the devil' Tony smiled, no reaction appeared on Gibbs's unreadable face. Tony cast his eyes down and tried again-

"Sorry Dad.' Tony said solemnly, biting back a smile and keeping his face dead serious. He looked into Gibbs's eyes and understood immediately. He raised his hand to the back of his own head and gave it a smack.

Gibbs's lip twitched and he looked down a little before into DiNozzo's face again. He rose his hands to the screen and signed his message while also saying it aloud for his other team members to here on their end, so they all got the message at the same time.

"Morning DiNozzo" Gibbs signed as said aloud, glancing up at Ziva and then McGee. "You got anything to contribute to our case?"

"No, Boss" DiNozzo said, "Just hanging foul.."

"Any viable reason for you disrupting my teams diligent work-space?" Gibbs signed and said.

_"_Diligent? Really?" Tony laughed slightly then caught Gibbs's look. "Uh.. yeah- comic relief?"

"Good-bye DiNozzo."

"Going so soon?"

"No, but you are."

"Oh really? I was kinda happy just hanging here actually, maybe I'll help out McPrankster?"

"Good-bye DiNozzo."

"Over and out." Tony said. He saluted the people in view of the camera, Ziva slid into frame just as he was about to switch off his camera, he paused and pointed accusingly at her.

"And don't you dare think about touching my letter opener!"

Ziva smiled sweetly, DiNozzo brought two fingers up to his eyes, pointing at them then extended one pointing finger at Ziva. I'm watching you. Then he switched off the camera.

Tony sat for a minute in front of the computer, half a grin still stuck to the corners of his mouth. The tingling in his stomach was still there, the hyperactive behavior was the result of his excitement and the latest show had only fueled it.

He knew Gibbs would accept him back into the team without a second thought, they had been through thick and thin together, they were loyal. Something was nagging at the back of his mind and was the source of the nervousness churning his gut. It wasn't going to be the same, nothing was ever going to be the same. There was going to be no field work, he was going to be riding the desk for the rest of his career. He had forced himself to accept it, made himself believe that it was okay, and better than nothing- he had moved on. He just didn't know how much Gibbs expected of him, that man was unreadable. The last thing he wanted was to be a burden on his team, and part of his mind couldn't figure out how a deaf agent was not going to affect the team for the worse.

His usual determined attitude kicked in, he was going to have to make this work. He had to prove himself to his team and to the director. He was originally selected on his ability in the field, he was a street-smart Baltimore cop at heart, but now he had to prove he had a little more under his belt. He had to prove to them all that they were not making a mistake letting him back.

Tony spent the rest of his day lounging about his house, venturing out later in the afternoon to pick up some groceries, which mainly consisted of Captain Crunch cereal, some microwave popcorn and chocolate yogurts. The corner shop down the end of his block had gotten used to having him come in over the past few weeks. He had lived there for three years and they had never recognised him, even though he shopped their every week- a couple months of being the 'deaf guy' and he was a local celebrity.

Tony's evening was spent revising for his tests. He was confident in himself and had no doubts but that didn't cure the nervousness he had- it seemed to be growing as the night wore on. He sifted through booklets and papers on everything relevant, he pretty much new them all by heart. He stared at the pictures and diagrams for hours despite knowing them all to a tee. He gave up earlier than he expected and chucked his half eaten bowl of two minute noodles into the bin before retiring to his bed. He figured a good nights sleep wouldn't hurt, plus he'd rather not sit up brooding over his growing nerves.

**Review! Review! God, please!**


	13. Chapter 13

**IMPORTANT NOTE THING: **

**Hey, for anyone that's been reading my story, I just want to let you know that I went back and added more into an onto the end of some chapters, um one mainly, then a little on two, three and four... Just thought I could improve them a little. Sorry if that annoys anyone or anything, dunno why. If so, toughen up.**

Tony cut the car's engine and sat still in the driver's seat, hands still loosely holding the steering wheel. He swallowed hard and shut his eyes, drawing in a deep breath of the chilly morning air and releasing it slowly. He began counting to ten slowly in his mind, trying to calm himself; he reached nine and paused; creating imaginary suspense and tension for the anticipated number ten. He beat the steering wheel furiously in a silent drum role before he uttered 'ten' aloud in a barely audible whisper. As soon as the word left his mouth he moved into swift motion, reaching over and retrieving the backpack he had set on the seat next to him, he pulled the keys from the ignition and pocketed them, yanking open the car door and shutting it swiftly; he was moving through the quiet car-park in seconds.

He checked his watch, it was later then he would normally start work- everyone would already be there. He was due for his meeting with Director Vance in a few minutes, the meeting they had organized a few days before. Tony felt the required papers bouncing reassuringly in his backpack. The tests had been a breeze; he hadn't even needed to batter his eyelids at the female examiner.

The beefy guard that stood every morning at the familiar entrance to the building stood solid and stocky in his usual position. DiNozzo approached him with a spring in his step and raised a hand in greeting when he got close enough to the man. Everything looked so familiar and normal; it felt to Tony as though everything should have changed, it felt as if he had been away for years.

The guard nodded at him as he passed, Tony pressed the all too familiar elevator button, the doors slid open instantly.

Of everything he had gone through that morning, trying impatiently to get passed Margaret in the hallway as she rambled away at him, waiting impatiently at the café for his morning coffee, sitting in the morning traffic on his way into the building. Of everything that had happened that morning- the ride up in the elevator was the worst. He jingled up and down in excitement, pacing the confined space and running a hand through his hair. He felt the elevator come to a smooth stop and the door opened, minus the usual ding. He felt a tiny pang. He would miss that ding.

He stared out at the scene in front of him, wearing the goofiest grin he could sum up. Everything was exactly the same as it always was; nothing had changed in his absence. People busied about at their desks, the room was alive with hard working agents. It felt like he had been in another world, it was weird to think that NCIS still functioned without him. He was so happy to be back, he had been starting to feel like NCIS was just a half forgotten dream, now he could see it with his own eyes and reassure himself it was real, and he had made it back. He _had_ made it back! The goal of returning had been his motivation, his reason for persisting, and his hope. At some of his low points, his goal of return had felt like a lie, a joke- a lie he had been telling himself, just to keep from falling of the edge. But never mind that now. He was back! Okay, he had _really_ missed this place.

He composed himself and exited the elevator. He strolled out, shoulders back and head up high. People looked up from their work, heads turned in his direction. Not many people had even bothered to visualize Anthony DiNozzo's return to the office, not expecting him to come back at all. People nodded and waved. Tony noted the attention at the back of his mind but he had eyes only for the team in the far corner. He would have time for the others later.

McGee was sitting at his desk, apparently working hard on something, his eyebrows furrowed. He could see a dark mass of brown hair that had to be Ziva bent over her screen opposite McGee. Brigs was sitting in McGee's old spot, Tony recognized him from their little web-cam chat a few days earlier, Tony stifled a chuckle- man, this guy looked green. Gibbs was no where in sight.

Tony could barely control his excitement; he crouched low behind the portable dividers that ran along their workspace and made a dash quickly past the entrance to the bullpen, sliding down low behind the divider behind McGee's desk. Tony popped his head up slightly, none of them had noticed him, he almost laughed. McGee was sitting right in front of him oblivious, playing some sort of game that looked nothing like work. Tony leaned forward as far as he could go and took a deep breath.

"HEY MCGEE!" He bellowed, he could tell he'd said it loud enough because McGee sprang a few feet into the air, his chair shot back and crashed to the ground, the desk rocked and pens and pencils fell violently to the floor... Maybe he'd said it a little too loud; Brigs had sprung back onto the cabinets behind him and Ziva had leaped into a fighting stance, almost half the office were peering cautiously over at the bullpen, most having risen to their feet, trying to work out if they were at risk of terrorist attack, no- Tony was just back.

Tim reached out and grabbed the desk for support, catching his breath after his fright; Brigs stood awkwardly watching the situation cautiously. Ziva was the first to respond.

"How old are you?" She demanded, a small smile forming at the corners of her mouth. Ziva and Ducky were the only ones in the team that didn't know how to sign. She'd secretly been in some form of denial about the whole situation and couldn't bring herself to attend lessons, she had caved a few weeks ago and purchased a basic ASL book, but had hardly opened it.

Ziva was too far away from Tony for him to read her lips, he smiled it best DiNozzo smile.

"I beg you're pardon, Miss David?"

Tim turned to him and signed Ziva's message to Tony, who poked his tongue out at her childishly. She raised an eyebrow, a large smile had already spread its self across her face. It was good to have Tony back. She moved swiftly around her desk at the same time as Tony moved into the bullpen, McGee made his way out from behind Tony's desk a little more carefully.

"ElfLord! When did you get so tall? Ziva, my crazy-ninja-fighting-Israeli-chick, did you miss me?" Tony said cheerily, patting McGee on the head and bouncing on his heels. He looked over at Brigs who was looking dejected in his corner. Tony strolled up to him and extended a hand to shake.

"Hey man, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, but you can call me Sensei, or Tony- either one is fine." Brigs extended his hand and they shook, Brigs swallowed nervously. Tony glanced over at Brigs's chair, the back still decorated in pink and purple colours.

"Oh man Zach, you really got to hit that stuff early with the super-glue removal squirty-stuff," Tony said nodded to the chair, "Gibbs has some in his drawer I think, we'll he did last time I checked, too late with that one though- looks like it's going to be there a while."

Brigs nodded and looked sadly at his shoes, Tony had to bite back a laugh; the guy was still genuinely upset. He patted him playfully on the shoulder, turning to find McGee and Ziva either side of him.

"You know what kiddies, I'm almost disappointed in the two of you... Where are all the balloons, and _cake_! Good god!" He said pointing at them both with extended fingers. He moved his hands so they were holding his heart and looked at both of them in turn with what looked like genuine hurt. "You two should be ashamed, imagine what I would have done for you!"

McGee moved the conversation on quickly; disturbed by the mental image of what Tony would have done for him. Tony laughed and punched him playfully on the shoulder when he saw the shade of green McGee had suddenly become.

_"What are you doing here? You back then?"_ McGee signed.

"Naah, I'm off to see Director Charming up there" Tony said and signed at the same time, out of habit. He moved away from the two and perched himself on the edge of his old desk, checking his watch. Vance could wait a little.

"This is one hot team we've got here! We've got a Deaf-guy," He said pointing at himself, "Vicious-Ninja-chick, the Scout-Boy, the Salt-and-Pepper Functioning Mute, and Harry-High-Pants here to help us out! All we need now is the blind guy from level - -"

McGee hit Tony on the shoulder and gestured up at the staircase behind them, Tony turned his head slowly already knowing what he was to see. Vance and Gibbs stood holding the banister at the top of the stairs, Vance frowning. Tony blinked and held up a hand, giving it a wave_. _Vance looked dead serious, he tapped his watch.

"Oh yeah," Tony breathed turning to look at Ziva and McGee, "I should probably go do that..."

He pulled his backpack over his shoulders and ascended the stairs meeting the two at the top.

Vance watched as Anthony DiNozzo climbed the stairs. The last time he had seen the agent was when he had stopped by the hospital the day after he had been admitted, Tony had been unconscious. He now looked like his usual self apart from the facial blemish he now sported.

When Vance had taken on the role of Director of NCIS, he had thought DiNozzo only as an incompetent agent, brimming with an irritating smart-ass attitude and what appeared to be an enormous load of self-centred childishness. Not to mention his lack of computer and office skills, he couldn't understand how Gibbs could be so loyal and trusting in such a man. Vance's ideas on Anthony DiNozzo had changed drastically earlier that year and Vance saw the skills that Gibbs admired in DiNozzo. Tony had presented Vance with his own case into the desert, returning to DC successful. After the impression Tony had left after that particular case Vance took the time to read carefully over Tony's file, his respect in the agent growing the more he read. He now understood why Gibbs had wanted the man back so badly when he had been sent away as agent afloat. When Tony's immature and juvenile behaviour in the office was looked over, he was a hardworking, smart and strong agent.

"Morning, Boss - es" Tony said on reaching the top, Vance looked at Gibbs who signed his message.

_'Nice to see you finally made it, DiNozzo. Great way to kick it off with Vance.'_

_'I missed you too, Boss. Don't worry, I brought complimentary toothpicks in case it gets hairy_' Tony signed back as he followed Vance and Gibbs into Vance's office. He stole a quick look back and saw the three in the bullpen were still staring up at them, he entered the office.

Vance took a seat behind his desk and gestured for Tony to sit facing opposite him, Gibbs stood behind Vance's chair. Tony reached into his backpack and pulled out the forms and handed them over to Vance who accepted them. He set them carefully to the side and then began to speak. Tony only read about a third of the words Vance was saying to him, even though he was focusing with all his attention. To Tony's relief Gibbs began signing what Vance was saying across to Tony, obviously present for the purpose of communication, and probably that fact that Vance couldn't get rid of him.

_"Agent Gibbs is going to be signing what I say across today," _Vance said, Gibbs signed,"_ Nice to see you're doing well, DiNozzo. Let's cut this straight and get to the business end."_

"Yes, Director." Tony nodded, on his best behaviour.

_"I see you've got the required papers, I spoke to the examiners and heard you passed with flying colours, well done" _Gibbs signed the message to Tony, Vance's face was stern and he did not look enthused at all about the congratulation. _"We now need to discuss the arrangements and deals regarding you continuing work at NCIS."_

Tony swallowed hard and nodded, he had known for definite that he would continue on working in the building. He was nervous; this was the moment he would be finding out exactly how his future would run. Across the room Gibbs looked stern; mentally he was just as nervous as Tony.

_'You're title as field agent has been withdrawn, you are not longer permitted to work in the field. I suspect you know and understand that already, it comes under the strict Agent code. We simply cannot allow you in the field for obvious reasons, like the safety of yourself and others." _Gibbs signed the words portraying no emotion, his eyes fixated on Tony's face, which was also stony and expressionless. Tony kept his eyes firmly on Gibbs's hands and Vance's face, not trusting himself to look into Gibbs's eyes.

_"There is going to be no negotiation on that one, I'm afraid DiNozzo"_ Vance continued.

"Understood, sir" Tony replied, all business.

"Good. Agent Gibbs here was relentless in his quest to exasperate me into reaching a conclusion that he agreed with, seemed he had more choice in it then I did..." Vance said, he watched Gibbs as he signed the message across to Tony, expressionless. Tony raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his head a tilt to the side in question. Vance sat and watched their silent conversation

"I'm sure." Tony said absently in reply to Vance, watching as Gibbs signed something else.

_'Don't let it go to your head, DiNozzo"_

Tony flashed a quick grin and signed back, purposely leaving Vance out of the conversation.

_"Boss, I'm touched! I knew underneath the impassive Gibbs-mask you were as gooey as McGoo!"_

_"Too late, I told you not to let it go to your head. You really want this job, DiNozzo?"_

_"Shutting it, boss"_

Vance looked from Tony to Gibbs, bemused but slightly irritated. When he was satisfied they were finished he continued more forcefully.

_"You will remain an active member of Agent Gibbs's team. You will aid the team in every way you can in regard to the regulations I have set out, concerning your continuation of work at NCIS. I have some paperwork here you need to sign, certifying that you will abide by the rules. These are strict DiNozzo, I had to work hard to keep you here. No funny business."_

Vance held out a small bundle of files and papers, Tony groaned inwardly, more paperwork. He took them with a nod and flicked through the first couple of pages then set them down on the table next to him.

"I understand, Director." Tony nodded, "When do I start?"

_"The paperwork needs to be signed and processed; as soon as that's done you can return. I expect that to be before the end of the week."_

Tony let out a long breath and smiled, at Vance and then his bos_s. _"Well, that's just- that's great"

_"You will hold the same authority as you did before in the team as Senior Agent. Agent Zach Brigs will continue to help the team in the field and any other necessary situations. I'm aware that this may cause some inconvenience in some cases, but it's the way it's going to stand if this is going to work. And if you try that confetti prank on him, or the 'Auto-Insult' virus, I'll head-slap you into next week, even if he is a pain in the ass."_

Tony was nodding as he watched Gibbs's hands, pausing when he read the last part. He frowned and looked at Gibbs who remained stolid, then at Vance who watched Tony's confusion curiously.

"You didn't say that last - Boss? I'm a little..?" Vance looked at Gibbs, who shrugged and signed something back to DiNozzo, a smile threatening the corner of his mouth.

_"Care to clarify, DiNozzo? Or not?"_ Gibbs said raising an eyebrow.

"Uh - Yeah, no; never mind."

Vance nodded, dismissing it and took up the sheets Tony had handed him before, he pulled a file from a draw and slipped them in. Looking up to see Tony had already brought out a pen and was ready to sign the papers. Vance rounded the desk and watched over Tony's shoulder as he signed. Tony skimmed the contract speedily and signed his name hurriedly at the end of each page, glancing up at Vance when he had finished. There were signatures required from the Director, Gibbs, McGee and Ziva. Gibbs brushed past the director and signed his name. Tony looked up at the director.

"I'll get McGee and David to sign it later, DiNozzo" He said directly to Tony's face. Tony read his lips.

"Okay, so am I done then?" Tony asked, watching Gibbs as he signed Vance's longer reply.

_"Vance says you can go now, he's going to email you as soon as the paperwork has gone through. You should be ready to return to work by Friday at the earliest."_

"Friday?" Tony breathed out excitedly, "Yeah, Yes... Uh - Yes, Sir"

Vance nodded and Tony shook his hand, bouncing on his heels having given up on trying to control his smile. He had done it. He voiced his thanks to the director and followed Gibbs out of the office, winking at the female assistant on his way past. Gibbs strolled steadily ahead of him, Tony jogging slightly to keep up.

Gibbs was genuinely happy, which was a hard place for him to get. It had been entertaining watching Tony trying to control his excitement and happiness inside the office, without bouncing off the walls. Gibbs was glad his Senior Field Agent, no - Senior Agent was so happy. It was hard not to miss the appreciation clear in Tony's eyes, it was unspoken but it was dead obvious.

Tony danced along a couple of paces behind Gibbs as he made his way to the elevator. Gibbs realized what the conclusion of the meeting meant for him, Tony and the team - Anthony DiNozzo would have nothing to do for half a week. They were in for living hell.

Tony glanced down at the bullpen and then back to the elevator. Gibbs hit the button and turned back to him. They held steady eye-contact for a full few seconds, neither breaking it and both schooling their faces to give away not a hint of emotion. Tony wasn't sure if anything was said or meant in those seconds, he hadn't gained anything from Gibbs, but knowing Gibbs, Tony figured he'd just been read like an open book. They stepped into the elevator and Tony watched as his boss hit the button for the labs, duh, he'd be murdered in his sleep if he didn't go and visit Abby that second.

_"Thanks, boss" _Tony signed, not bothering to speak. Gibbs tilted his head back slightly. _"I have no idea what you did to the director, I'm not really sure I want to know... Okay, I want to know... How the hell did you-? You've got a little something going on there, I can see it."_

_"Don't know what you're talking about, DiNozzo"_

_"You know what I mean, you've got this whole 'wink wink' 'nudge nudge' thing going on, don't worry, your secrets safe. What did you threaten him with? What? Poke out his eyes with his own toothpick?"_

_"Naah, I stooped much lower then that."_

_"Why do I believe that?"_

_"Vance likes you, DiNozzo. He thinks you're a good agent"_

_"Sure."_

Gibbs's hand whipped up and slapped the back of Tony's head, wiping the dejected expression clean off his face. Gibbs brought his hand back and signed forcefully.

_"Yeah, I am sure"_

_"Thank you, Boss." _Tony patted down the back of his hair carefully, _"Kind of missed that you know. Nice, physical contact. Ouch... hey, it's all good."_

Gibbs chuckled lightly, the doors of the elevator slid open to reveal the lab. Gibbs and Tony stepped out in unison, Tony preparing himself for the explosion that was sure to come from the scientist; it was the calm before the storm.

**Alright, I just thought I'd publish this now and tie it off here, we'll finish off this 'day' in the next chapter, see Abby and all :) Get pumped! Yeah!**

**REVIEW? Kay, cool thanks.**


	14. Chapter 14

Gibbs glanced over at Tony, the music pumping from inside Abby's lab was deafening. Tony took a deep breath in and out.

_"Just bracing myself, Boss" _Tony signed as they continued in, _"I can hear the music, sort of... Feel it, vibrating. Weird, kinda cool."_

They entered to see Abby working to the beat of the music, bouncing on her heals while preparing something at the small desk with her back to the two men. Tony glanced at Gibbs and smiled the DiNozzo smile, putting a finger to his lips as he inched his way into the room. Gibbs rolled his eyes and nodded a little. He didn't usually go along with Tony's jokes, but he figured this one time he could cut the kid some slack.

Gibbs approached Abby swiftly and tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to turn towards him as Tony skidded into the conjoining room behind while her back was turned. He walked on tip toes, figuring he'd have to make it in fast before Abby shut of the music. He made the dive into the small workspace just as he felt the vibrations in the floor stop; he sat down carefully in her desk chair.

Abby turned to Gibbs with a deep frown on her face. Gibbs looked at her quizzically, watching Tony slide his way into the conjoining room, the younger man's childishness almost made him smile. Abby raised an arm and used the remote to turn down the pulsing music. She continued to watch him with the same alarmed expression.

"Gibbs! This is ridiculous! What do you think you are doing down here!"

"I work here, Abby."

"No! You know what I mean! I have nothing Gibbs, I've barely gotten started and you're already down here? This is all wrong, Bossman! Are you feeling alright? Maybe your magic is a bit off today, I was watching some weird documentary- like, really weird Gibbs. Anyways, they were saying you can channel your magic through certain tools, maybe you should try that, Gibbs- this is really unacceptable. Of course you'd know more about that sort of thing than I do. I really should research it a little more... You never know when you'll need to help out a dark wizard... Gibbs, you're worrying me!"

"Abby..."

"No, you know what... Maybe I do have something. Pause, hold it right there, don't move!" Abby said, holding up her hands while commanding Gibbs to stay, then backed away cautiously towards her computer. She flipped up a couple of tabs and scanned through her files, throwing suspicious glances back at Gibbs, who rolled his eyes.

"Still running the finger prints, no hits on the BOLO's, weird-fiber-thing is still running... Wait- one new email" Abby pulled it up and read it quickly, it was from McGee.

Tony watched from his position in the conjoining room of the lab. Abby had hurried back to her computer and was reading something intently. He almost laughed when he saw the expression on her face. She formed her face into a picture of false anger and folded her arms, turning back to face Gibbs very slowly. Gibbs almost looked startled at her expression. Tony held his breath.

"Where - is - he?" She asked Gibbs flatly, trying to come off as angry as possible. "Tony is here, in this very building, and you didn't think to tell me?"

"Hi Abby, Tony's here; he had a meeting with the director. Happy?" Gibbs said coolly.

"Where - is - he?" She asked again in the same tone. Gibbs's reply was interrupted as Jimmy Palmer wandered into the lab in his scrubs, carefully carrying a tray of samples. He stopped short and held up a hand, calling across the room.

"Hey! Tony!" He waved, an ecstatic look on his face. Abby whipped around to see Tony leaning casually against her mini refrigerator. He half bowed in reply, nodding his head and waving his arm out in front.

"Jimmy, hey man!"

Tony was hit with a force which clearly knocked him back flying into the fridge, sending it rocking precariously. Abby held on tight to Tony as he wobbled backwards, then forwards with all her weight attached to his front, they both almost ended up on the floor.

"Abby... Can't... Breathe..."

"Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony!"

Abby jumped back and got her hands at the ready, her face a mirror of uncontrollable, hyperactive excitement.

_"Tony! I'm so glad to see you! I'm so happy you're back! Ahh-" _She jiggled up and down and pulled him into another hug _"Tony! Why didn't you tell me you were coming! I would have set up a whole party, with balloons and cake and- oh no! You should have told me! You're in trouble now, Mister!"_

"Abby!" Tony tried.

_"Gibbs said you had a meeting with Vance... Gibbs! You didn't warm me either! I feel so out of it! How'd the meeting go? Are you back? Like, for real back? Like, staying? Please say you'll pinky swear, it's so boring here without you! McGee's gone all.. I dunno- he's trying to be you.. Don't tell him that though, Ziva's okay... Bossman is all majorly grumpy, no offense Gibbs- but you are..."_

Tony stood with his hands at his sides, watching the silent rant. He had never known that such a thing was possible but Abby had just proved to the word that it was. Gibbs stood leaning against the bench and Jimmy watched from his position in the room. Abby signed oblivious to everyone else, Tony watched her dumbly and figured he'd let her get it out of her system, before he made an attempt to reply.

_"I knew Vance wasn't going to be letting you back in easy, Gibbs went medieval about it, no offense Gibbs- but you did... But if you had a meeting with Vance that means you must have done your tests! Tony! Why didn't you tell me? We could have had huge study practicing sessions and sleepovers! You didn't even give me time to get nervous for you! Oh my god, alright I'm nervous now... Hold on... Okay, you can tell me now- how did you go?"_

Tony smiled and tilted his head to the side. Abby squealed and hugged him again. Gibbs gave him a half smile over Abby's shoulder. Tony chuckled lightly.

_"When do you start!"_

Tony drew breath quickly after he was released from the hug and spat out his answer before Abby could start up again. Just as he was about to speak she started up with her hands, Tony put a hand over hers and smiled his 1000 watt smile.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" He chuckled, "'The Jazz Singer', 1927, good flick... I'm starting Friday! Well... Probably, just waiting on the paperwork to go through."

_"Surely you're not serious! Friday! Tony, this is awesome!"_

"Yes, I am serious! And stop calling me Shirley!" Tony said clapping his hands and spinning in a circle on his heels, grinning at Abby who laughed. Tony held up his arms and did an imaginary bow. "And yes people! Thank you, thank you! That was in fact, impromptu! Come on, Jimmy 'Airplane'! 1980? That was two in a row! Impromptu, Jimmy!"

_"Yay, Tony! God, I'm so glad. Zach is nice and all but we invited him out for drinks last Friday; he's worse than McGee- now I always say that there is nothing wrong with McGee's, you know- technological tendencies but this man really as no life. It's kind of scary. He's like the parallel of Gibbs!"_

"Still here, Abbs" Gibbs called to her. His phone began to ring and he picked it up, taking the call. Tony watched him and turned back to Abby. Palmer moved forward now that Abby's greeting seemed to have died down, he slapped Tony on the shoulder.

"Sup, Palmer?" Tony said, leaning back on the fridge. Gibbs continued to take his call.

_"Nothing Tony, good to have you back. It's been kind of quiet."_

"How's Ducky?"

_"Good I guess, I really have to get back down to Autopsy actually, we're in the middle of one. Oh, Abby the tissue samples are on you're bench" _Palmer signed, not noticing that he continued the conversation in sign language.

Gibbs strolled back to the trio and stuck his phone back in his pocket. Tony moved to stand next him naturally.

"We're gonna go now, Abbs." Gibbs said nodding at Tony, Abby's face dropped, "Hey, look's like you got a hit"

Abby's face lit up again and she bounced over to her computer screen.

"Gibbs! You're my good luck charm." She said happily. Gibbs smiled the smile he saved only for Abby. She turned around and gave Tony one last hug, she grabbed the remote for her music and switched it back on as Tony, Gibbs and Palmer exited the room. Tony felt the vibrations start back up again and turned back to her just before he left. Abby waved dramatically.

"_Listen to her, that child of the night. What music she makes!" _He signed, Abby giggled when he replied to her confused frown by putting two fingers up to his mouth and mimicking fangs.

_"Dracula!"_

_"I'm on a roll!"_

And with that he jogged to the elevator behind the Autopsy Gremlin and his boss. Palmer exited the elevator on the Autopsy level, Tony and Gibbs rode it up to the squad room. Tony fidgeted with his jacket zip nervously, pulling and tugging at it absently. Gibbs shot him a look and he curtly shoved both hands into his pockets. Apart from the obvious excitement Gibbs could sense there was something bothering his agent.

_"Coffee?"_ Gibbs asked.

"That a question or an order?"

_"Question, DiNozzo."_

"It's a date then" Tony nodded. The doors slid open and Tony followed Gibbs out into the office area and into the bullpen, following him right up to his desk, which he stood in front of while Gibbs grabbed his coat and rummaged through his drawers, Tony like a loyal dog. The rest of the team sat at their computers watching expectantly in silence.

"Uh-? So how'd it go?" McGee called to Tony's back. Gibbs looked up and looked at Tony, pointing a finger and clicking at McGee, diverting Tony's attention the right way. McGee repeated the question in sign language.

_"For me to know and you to get confused over. Don't tell Ziva!"_

_"Don't tell Ziva, what?"_

_"What?"_

_"Don't tell her what? What?"  
_

_"What you on about, McGoo?"_

_"What?" _Tony laughed and watched Ziva's lips moving as she questioned McGee.

"What did he say? It went well?" Ziva asked eagerly. McGee didn't answer and Tony wandered casually up to Ziva's desk and stopped right in front of her, grinning mischievously, she stared back at him wary and a touch confused. They stayed like that for a minute, Tony flicked a finger to her lamp and ran one over the top of her computer monitor, rubbing the dust between his fingers and keeping the mischievous smile up. Gibbs strolled up behind Tony, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him gently towards the elevator.

"Boss? Where are you going?" McGee called, the three agents stared after them as the two entered the elevator and disappeared.

* * *

Gibbs and Tony sat opposite each other at a table, two large coffees separating them. Gibbs had suggested that he and Tony go get some coffee before he got back to the case and Tony went home. The Director had duly told DiNozzo that he did in fact have to leave the NCIS building and wait at home for Friday to come, knowing there might be a chance that Tony would set up camp at the NCIS office awaiting the date.

Tony sat comfortably and confidently opposite his boss. There was nothing awkward about the situation, if Gibbs had asked Tony to join him for a coffee seven years ago it would of been a different case, but their friendship had grown profusely since that time, and greater in the past few months.

_"Nervous?"_ Gibbs signed after placing his coffee down carefully.

_"Yeah a little, mainly exited."_ Tony replied with a shrug.

_"It's going to be tough, Tony."_

_"Well you know me, Gibbs. I live life on the edge, I'm tough, I'm flexible, I roll with the punches."_

_"I got that, Tony." _Gibbs signed with a nod, _"It's going to be tough on the team, too."_

Tony swallowed and looked back into Gibbs's blank face with a hard expression. He'd known it since the accident, this was the source of all his distress and the one worry he couldn't bury. The one thing that set him uneasy above anything else related to his return to the MCRT was the possibility of being a burden on his team, and letting them down. He would not live with himself if he were to burden them. He'd had these thoughts since the moment he decided he would continue working at NCIS but he had had no way to voice them, he couldn't think of how to structure the sentences, he had no idea how to say it aloud. Gibbs had just uncovered it, unveiled it with eight easy gestures, that weren't even said aloud.

Tony gave a curt nod and set his gaze down to a napkin in front of him, focusing on tearing it into microscopic pieces.

"I know, Boss." Tony said, looking up to meet Gibbs's blue eyes. Gibbs looked at him with all the understanding in the world. He had known something like this was going on inside his agent but hadn't known the exact source. With one lucky guess he'd got it in one, his agents reaction telling him he had found it instantly.

"I'll try my best, Gibbs."

"I don't doubt that, Tony. They're gonna be doing the same." Gibbs said to his Senior Agent, nodding and reaching for his coffee. Tony read his lips and continued to watch him with the same hard expression, his jaw clenched and his eyes determined.

_"It's going to be okay," _Gibbs signed, _"Trust me, Tony."_

_"I trust you, Boss." _Tony replied, looking solemn.

_"Good. Now, relax. Cause I'm going to be whipping your ass back into shape come Friday."_

_"I look forward to it, Boss."_

_"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, DiNozzo." _Gibbs said with a small smile, taking another sip of his coffee. Tony did the same. The two lapsed into silence, both leaning back onto the leather of the cafe seats comfortably.

"Boss?" Tony asked after a few minutes.

_"Volume down, DiNozzo. Yeah?"_

_"Right, inside voice."_ Tony signed back, his ears feeling slightly hot. That was the trouble with speaking aloud and he would probably never master it, luckily he was quite good at moderating his voice and slip-ups only happened ever so often. _"Thank you. For taking me back in, I mean."_

_"Didn't have to think twice, DiNozzo."_

_"Okay, just - sorry, I'm not going to make anything any easier being back, probably just more complicated. I know you knew that when you made the decision- um..."_

_"Don't apologize, DiNozzo. Sign of weakness."_

_"Right. Sorry, Boss." _

Gibbs chuckled slightly. Tony lent back, feeling like a tiny weight had been lifted. At least he'd half gotten that off his chest. Gibbs had understood.

_"You been in contact with your father?" _Gibbs asked, watching Tony's face carefully.

"I sent him an email after I got out of hospital, haven't gotten a reply yet. I didn't really expect one." Tony said and signed at the same time, speaking in a matter-of-fact manner, casually.

_"You okay with that?"_

"Uh- well, no." Tony chuckled, shrugging, "But that's Senior for you, he's probably just busy. Buisness meetings, phone calls, paperwork, marriages, conferences, scamming..." Tony went on sarcasticall_y._Gibbs didn't say anything, Tony sighed and shrugged again.

"Honestly, I'm not bothered. The man farewelled me the day I chose law enforcement then rocked up almost twenty years later looking for money. He disappears again at the tiniest opportunity at some moo-lah, father-son relationship thrown aside- not that I was really counting on it. Well, I told him, I emailed him -which is more then he deserves, I've done my part."

_"Fair enough. Good work, DiNozzo. Your father - - "  
_

Gibbs stopped his reply short as a young waitress approached the two of them carrying a pad and paper, ready to ask if they wanted something to eat. She stopped up short and looked from Gibbs to Tony with a worried expression on her face. She had seen the two signing to each other and couldn't figure out who to approach. Tony realized her dilemma immediately and smiled at her warmly, she moved forward and looked from the older man to the younger one with the scar.

"Would you like to order something to eat?" She asked the two. Tony read her lips and smiled again, flicking the laminated menu in his hands. Gibbs lent back and observed Tony, watching him handle the situation himself.

"Hey Sally," Tony said with a charming smile, squinting at her name tag. The reaction Tony could get out of the younger girl in one simple look was incredible Gibbs thought. Tony's scar didn't seem to cramp his style, his confidence over rode it, the same with his deafness. "Could I please get the beef burger?"

"Yep, sure. One beef burger." She said, scribbling down on her pad. "You want chips or salad with your burger? And what sauce?"

Tony blinked at her then smiled. "Sorry, could you please repeat that?"

"Oh," The girl said, looking from Gibbs to Tony then proceeded to speak slowly and carefully. "What sauce would you like with your burger?"

"Sauce?"

"Yeah, with your burger?"

"Oh, right. Barbecue?"

"Great," She said, scribbling again. "Would you like chips or salad?"

Tony swallowed and glanced over at Gibbs, seeking some help. This sort of this happened a lot when he went out or bought things in shops and he went through the same routine every time, a couple of times it had resulted in him getting them to write it down for him. He looked from Sally the waitress to his boss with a sheepish grin.

"Uhh?"

_"Do you want chips or salad with the beef burger that you don't need?" _Gibbs signed across, the waitress looked uncomfortable.

"Ohh! Right! Sorry." Tony nodded, he caught a look from Gibbs and replied tactfully, "Thank you very much, Sally. Can I have the salad?"

The waitress collected the menus after Gibbs had mumbled that he was fine and walked off to serve the other tables.

_"Thanks, Boss."_

Gibbs nodded, his phone started ringing and he pulled it out, answering as usual. It was McGee. Gibbs had strolled out of the bullpen with Tony, leaving no instructions to his bewildered team except for an uttered 'work!'. McGee was stuttering on the phone, another body had been found with the same characteristics as a recently found murder. Gibbs flipped the phone shut and looked up at Tony.

"Duty calls?"

"Uh-huh" Gibbs nodded, stuffing his phone back into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Tony started pulling on his jacket and rose to his feet.

_"Going somewhere, Tony?"_

"With you?" He said, before draining the last of his coffee. Gibbs rose an eyebrow in question. Tony ignored the eyebrow and continued pulling on his jacket, determined.

_"Care to elaborate?"_

"I just - err - thought that since I was cleared... We already signed the...? I figured you'd let me...? Uhh - can't I just come along? Since you - err ?

Gibbs continued staring the same way at his agent in answer to his question. Gibbs pulled out a few coins and flipped them onto the table to pay for the coffee.

"Boss?"

"Nope."

"But -"

_"Tony, eat your burger."_

"Come on, Gibbs. Your kidding, right?"

_"F-R-I-D-A-Y."_

_"P-L-E-A-S-E?"_

_"Patience."  
_

Tony held steady gaze with his boss, frowning and folding his arms defiantly, amusing Gibbs with his childish behavior. They stood there for a second before Tony gave a huff and sank defeated onto the seat.

"Fine."

Gibbs gave a small gesture of goodbye as he pulled his coat on and exited the cafe. Tony watched him grumpily through the glass windows and he made his way down the street to where his car was parked. Tony sat with his feet up on the seat and his mobile pulled out in front of him, playing tetras until his burger came. He picked at it sadly, feeling sorry for himself as he regretted not ordering the chips.

**I didn't really expect to do this chapter, but hey.**

**A lot of Fanfiction writers write their own convincing 'please review' messages at the end of their chapters, as do I. I am launching my quest for the most successful persuasive message, not matter how unconventional it may sound- just post it in my review spot thingo and I'll let you know which works best.  
**

**And that's why they call me 'The Jokerster' or 'Joke-Star' because I'm such a star at making jokes. You can call me that if you really want to.  
**


	15. Chapter 15

Friday sluggishly inched its way forward on the calendar for Tony and the team, but surprisingly it rushed like a freight train for Brigs, who was dreading the moment Anthony DiNozzo would return to the building. McGee had blatantly told Brigs to watch out, reminiscing all the things Tony had done in the past and warning him of the pranks, teasing and torture that was certain to come. Brigs hadn't been too sure about the whole thing when Ziva chimed into the conversation, agreeing with McGee and giving him tips on how to check his workspace for traps. Brigs had finally been convinced when Gibbs strolled into the squad room just as Ziva had finished, adding in that Brigs should never consume any unexplainable or mysterious beverages or edible substances that appeared at his desk, without first having them lab-tested by Abby.

Agent Zach Brigs was to aid the Major Case Response Team in any necessary ways regarding fieldwork or situations affected by Tony's impairment. He would spend the rest of his time working his previous job on another level but would be on call at all times. He was disappointed about moving back to his former job but couldn't help feeling slightly relieved; now he wouldn't have to spend ten hours of his day sitting tense at his desk, waiting in anticipation for Gibbs to sneak up behind him and fry him for doing something wrong.

Brigs stood at his desk with a large cardboard box, packing his various items into it in a sullen mood. McGee and Ziva both sat in their chairs, watching both him and the clock at the same time.

Abby bounded into the bullpen, a large Caff-Pow tucked safely under one arm and a cardboard box similar to the one Brigs was brandishing under the other. McGee and Ziva smiled as she entered, she walked purposefully towards Gibbs's unoccupied desk.

"Hey, hey guys!" she said she dumped the box on the desk and took a seat on Gibbs's chair, "Good, I was so worried I'd come up and they'd already be here and it would mess up the whole welcoming back part, I guess then it would be like I was away so they would be welcoming me back, it would of been all wrong."

"Yeah, Gibbs went to pick him up three quarters of an hour ago, so he should be back any minute." McGee said, "What's in the box?"

"Oh, just stuff for Tony."

"Tony's things are right over there, Abby." Ziva said nodding to the other box near McGee's desk; it had gained a lot more graffiti over Tony's absence. Abby had written messages all over it; 'Tony, I borrowed your mighty mouse stapler', and 'Tony, remember you owe me four dollars', and 'I've got it McGee, the substance found on both Henry Jailor and Josephine Bennet's fingers match up!', McGee had scribbled 'What is it?' in reply and their conversation had overtaken the box, causing a irritated huff from Brigs and a growl from Gibbs.

"Oh yeah, these are just some things I thought I could use to, you know; spruce up the bullpen a little. It's certainly not looking appropriate for this ceremonious occasion... Although your desk chair is looking pretty good, Brigs... Could use a little tinsel though."

"Can I see?" Ziva said, craning her neck to get a look.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Abby said, she pulled the box towards her and created a drum roll on the lid with her fingers. She flipped open the top and dumped the entire contents on the desk in front of her, sending tinsel, streamers, un-blown balloons, a stack of candy, multicoloured feathers, some confetti and a bundle of fake flowers cascading across the desk, some streamers rolling decoratively across the floor.

"Oops," Abby giggled as she attempted to scrap the mess into a pile. Bits of candy, feathers and confetti were spread across the desk and dotted the floor below.

"Gibbs is going to kill you, Abby." Ziva smiled, picking up a rubber bouncy ball and a small yoyo, the pile was half the contents of a child's party bag.

"Are these stickers? What are they of - Ahh! Abby! These are disgusting!" McGee said, dropping the packet and wiping his hands on his jacket.

"Well, I used up all of Tony's last packet so I thought I'd by him a replacement," Abby said with a small smile. "Okay, guys! They're going to be here any second and I haven't even begun to get this place decorated! Quick! Ziva - You're hanging streamers! Tim - Start blowing up these balloons! Zach - Hang them, and I want curly string on the balloons, Mister! No cutting corners! Quick! Let's go, let's go!"

As Abby shouted her instructions she plucked up a pack of purple and black balloons and half threw them at McGee. Ziva tried to catch a rain of multicoloured streamers which bounced across the floor. Zach tactfully dodged a pair of scissors and a heavy sticky tape when they came hurtling his way. The three watched bemused, clutching their objects as Abby flew across the room grabbing the bunch of fake flowers and scraping a handful of confetti off Gibbs's keyboard. She clomped her way to McGee's desk and sighed in exasperation.

"McGee! Your stuff is all over Tony's desk! This is ridiculous!" She said, Tim didn't have time to answer before she had swiped and arm clean across his work-space clearing a large gap of desk and sending the pens and papers that previously occupied the spot flying elsewhere. Abby dumped the flowers on the desk and hurried around it, setting Tony's box of possessions beside them and clumsily throwing the confetti over the top.

"Tim! Ziva! Zach! Don't just stand there! We have to get this sorted before they arrive! I knew that stop off this morning at the taxidermy protest was a bad idea, I've really got to manage my time better, I really should stick my time management pie chart..." Abby rambled while trying to neaten the desk, "Look at this place... Ah, it's such a mess!"

"Ya think, Abby?"

Abby shot a mile high into the air and whipped around, Gibbs stood staring at the chaos that was once his pristine desk. Tony stood beside him, grinning with disbelief at the mess. Nobody so much as breathed on Gibbs's desk without gaining some sort of physical abuse. Well, that was in Tony's experience anyway.

"You're here!" Abby cried, she raced around the desk and flung herself into Tony who held out his arms to catch her. He held her with one arm tucked around her shoulders staring on trying to take in the scene

"No! No! No!" Abby said, turning to Gibbs and Tony, speaking hurriedly and signing just as fast, "This was all supposed to be set up! Like a surprise! Um, alright, don't worry... We can still do this, right? Okay, quick Tony; turn around and shut your eyes. Quickly! Come on!"

She grabbed Tony's shoulders and spun him around to face the screen behind him then went about scraping up half the mess and tossing it into the box. She kicked a few of the fallen lollies into a pile on the ground and snatched up a hand full of confetti and a party hat. All the while Tony spoke with over enthused cheer to himself while still facing the other way.

"Hey guys, yeah, nice to see you all two! Bring it in; bring it in, hugs for all! Been in DiNozzo withdrawal, huh? Whoa, if I'd known you had it this bad I would've done something! Yeah, I know I saw you all only a few days ago but I really missed you all, team! It's so great to_ see_ all your bright, smiling _faces_! I'd much prefer to see you all here in the flesh then, say, stand staring at a wall!"

Ziva tapped Tony on the shoulder and broke off his rant; he turned around to have a hand full of confetti tossed into his face and a party hand thrust into his hand. The room was in a slightly improved state, but not by much. He smiled at the team as they stood in front of him. Ziva and McGee were smiling, Gibbs was clenching his jaw and still looking at his desk and Abby signed 'Surprise' to him with great enthusiasm.

"Well, well. Isn't this impressive!" He smiled, sticking on his party hat and brushing a feather off the shoulder of his designer suit.

Tony received a pat on the back from McGee and Ziva stood close, smiling with wide eyes. Zach hefted his box under his arm and went to leave the bullpen discreetly, but to the surprise of Ziva and Tim was stopped abruptly by Tony offered a smile and shook his hand. Brigs shook back cautiously, nodding worriedly and escaping to the elevator looking a little scared. Tony turned back to Ziva and McGee looking incredulous.

"You've been working with _that_ since I left?"

"He's not usually that bad..." Ziva said uncertainly, McGee signed her message to him.

"Yeah, probably just intimidated by me, I get it all the time..."

McGee laughed and shared a knowing look with Ziva, Tony didn't miss it.

"What did you tell him, McGoopey?"

"Everything." McGee said at the same time as Ziva said "The truth."

"Huh?"

The team continued in friendly banter. Tony couldn't keep the smile off his face; everything was so familiar and normal, even if the conversation's speed was slightly slower then usual. Abby hovered around Tony's desk as he sat down behind it, McGee having cleared away his things and migrated back to his old desk. Tony admired the graffitied box that held his possessions before holding out his hand and looking expectantly at Ziva who looked confused for a brief second, she retreated back to her desk with a knowing smile, retrieving Tony's letter opener and placing it in the palm of his hand. He proceeded to cut open the box and set his things carefully in the right positions in his drawers.

Gibbs cleared his throat and got Abby's attention. He lifted a finger and flicked a party whistle off his keypad. She got the message and went in search of a dustpan and brush, returning with one and the janitor, who looked thou rally displeased.

McGee approached Tony's desk and placed a familiar object on the corner of Tony's table. It was the same TDD phone Abby had presented him with when he had first come home from hospital. He had attempted to get it set up but had given up on the chords and wires and settled with texting his messages instead. Tony acknowledged McGee and turned back to the pretty blond that was leaning on the wall dividers next to the desk, welcoming him back. McGee just stood there, Tony turned back to him with a eyebrow raised, McGee was too timid to interrupt the conversation.

"Well, isn't that lovely, McGee!" Tony said, patting it and shooting him a 'Can't you see I'm busy?' look, before turning back to the woman.

_"Tony, I've set the TDD device up and programmed your computer so we can call you. Gibbs wants me to show you how to work it, um now."_

The woman watched as McGee signed to Tony, she reached out and tapped Tony on the shoulder and waved her goodbye.

"Alright, well I'll see you later then, Lynda." Tony said with a charming smile. She smiled sweetly in return. Tim watched slightly jealous, Tony could be scarred and deaf but he still seemed to have better luck with woman then him. He was snapped out of his wishful thoughts by the glare Tony shot him.

_"You've got my full and unwavering attention, McAnnoying... Great, big white phone thing. Got it."_

McGee sighed and swallowed back his frustration. Yep, Tony was back. He bit back an argument and began to explain it to Tony

_"I've wired the TDD phone to your computer so the messages come up on your computer screen instead of the screen on the phone, when it rings all you have to do is pick it up and your monitor will automatically switch to the software. But listen, Tony. I've taken apart the machine and rewired it so it works so people with normal phones can call you. They speak into their phone, it gets wired into the computer and the software listens to the message and produces it as text on the screen, you just speak normally back. It's a little slower than a normal phone but much more effective then texting."_

Tony nodded slowly, a frown on his face. McGee sighed, and rounded the desk, pushing Tony aside and sitting in his place. He pulled out his own mobile phone and pressed speed dial four then tossed the phone at Tony, who caught it and glanced at the screen before turning his attention back to Tim. Tim then picked a small white box from beside the phone, about the size of a matchbox. He passed it to Tony who examined it in his hand, it was vibrating viciously. The phone on the desks screen was flashing too. McGee picked up the receiver and watched with Tony as a new window opened on the computer screen immediately. Tony held the mobile to his ear and spoke into it, watching the screen, his words popped up a couple of seconds later.

_'Well isn't that spec-tab-ulous.'_ Was what Tony said, although it came up on the screen as _'Well isn't that spectacles.'_

_"Obviously it isn't going to get every word; you'll have to piece a lot of it together. Pretty much only Gibbs, Brigs, Ziva and I will be calling this number. It might have some trouble with Ziva's accent; Abby and I are working on that. Also, if you're constantly having issues with some words in particular, we can program the software to recognise the sound and get the words right."_

_'Timothy, you are the Wiz-Cat of the Wizards. And for that, I salute you.' _Tony said into the phone before snapping it shut, the words came up on the screen.

_"Keep that in your pocket so you actually know when it's ringing." _McGee signed, gesturing to the small box.

"Well, duh." Tony said, already disinterested. He had discovered an ancient Mars bar tucked into the pages of one of his magazines.

"Oh-Oh-Yeah! Score one for DiNozzo!" He said ripping the paper, and chuckling to himself, he gave it a sniff. "Ergh..."

"How old is that?" Ziva asked, approaching the desk.

"Huh?" Tony said, looking back at his chocolate, "What's the colour you're supposed to look out for in the chocolate again? You don't eat if it's gone blue? So it's okay to eat it if it's a bit white? Right?" He mumbled, swallowing down half the chocolate and taking another bite. Ziva watched him, crinkling her nose.

"Whose bright idea was it to take you back?" Ziva smirked.

"What?"

Ziva sighed in frustration and lent forward closer to her partner, Tony cocked his head to the side.

"You. Are. Disgusting."

Tony swallowed down a lump of chocolate and lent a little closer to her.

"I. Beg. Your. Pardon?"

"What'd he do now?" Gibbs said, re-entering the bullpen. He snapped his phone shut and pocketed it, turning to his team and speaking in both ASL and aloud.

_"We've got another dead one; you all know what to do. Right DiNozzo?"_

"Yeah Boss. Sit here, do work, have fun. I got it."

_"No fun." _Gibbs said dead-pan. The rest of the team had snapped into action, pulling their backpacks over their shoulders and snapping their guns to their waists while Tony sat watching from the desk. He swallowed. Abby had since returned to her lab after giving hugs all round, even to the janitor who hadn't forgiven her for the mess she had admitted to creating. Gibbs tossed the keys to McGee and the three went to exit the bullpen, Gibbs slowed at Tony's desk. Tony looked up at his boss seriously.

_"You alright?"_

_"Never better, Boss. You taking Brigs?"_

Gibbs shook his head, pulling an expression that said 'You're seriously asking me that?', no, he wasn't. He handed a piece of paper over to Tony; it held a few words scribbled in Gibbs's handwriting. It was a name, an address and the victim's Marine number. Tony took the paper and nodded at his boss, this was his starting point.

Gibbs turned and caught up with Ziva and McGee, sliding through the elevator doors just before they shut. Tony sat still for a second staring at the empty desks around him. His team were gone and he was left to sit at the desk and wait for them, unaware of what they were doing. If something were to happen to any one of them he would not be there and would have to hear it from somebody else, second-hand. This was his job now, he was lucky to be there at all. He was thankful, thankful to be back with the team. From the moment after his accident he had been thankful that it had happened to him and not another one of the team. He knew if he had the choice, he would take that particular bullet again if it meant that it didn't happen to another of the team. In the beginning he had been angry, mad that he couldn't turn back time and angry that it had happened to him, but when he had realized that if he hadn't been the one to enter that room; it would have been somebody else on the team in his position now.

He had ruled out anger, but he couldn't put a stop to his frustration. He turned to his computer and threw himself into the work.

People stopped by and chatted to him, welcoming him back. He wasn't surprised by the amount of people that stood watching him from their desks or nervously nodded as they walked past. He could feel eyes on him as he worked. He figured people didn't know how to approach him or were not brave enough to try engaging in a conversation with him as they were unsure as how well it would turn out, afraid of it being uncomfortable. He shrugged it off and continued working.

He received a couple of calls from both Gibbs and McGee with new information for him on the case; he proudly operated his phone and boasted about it through the phone to McGee, who promptly hung up.

Tony scrolled through the information he had gathered in a few short hours of hard research. It was more then he would have usually collected in a week. He looked down at his notes, he had a short list of phone numbers which were other potential leads, he summed up the courage to use his TDD phone to speak to strangers for the first time.

Gibbs, Ziva and McGee returned two and a half hours after setting off, after sending the evidence down to Abby's lab Ziva and Tim settled in behind their desks to start on their research. Tony cleared his thought and flashed a smile.

"Good morning lady and gentlemen, my name is Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, you can call me Tony for short. Prepare to be amazed." Tony said as he strolled to the screen near Gibbs's desk, they all gathered around it. Tony flicked on the information he had gathered.

"And the winner is; Lance Corporal Ian Stilton, age 32. He was first noticed missing when he didn't arrive at a martial arts class he attended every week..." Tony continued to brief his team mates in on the information he had gathered in their absence. Impressing even McGee with the amount he had found out. Gibbs went to praise his Senior Agent when he paused, only to discover Tony had more, and was merely taking a breath.

_"Good work, Tony. McGee- pull up the banking records on Cassy Stilton, the girlfriend. Ziva- Call into the Lance Corporal's unit and find out all you can."_

The three settled back into their desks while Gibbs mounted the stairs to MTAC. Tony lent back in his chair and watched Ziva with a grin. She could feel his eyes on her and looked at him questioning.

"Impressed?"

"What? By you?" Ziva said with a smile. Tony frowned and looked at McGee who signed what Ziva had said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, by me. Don't my amazing investigative skills thrill you?"

"Tony, you are just about as thrilling as a knob."

Tony squinted at her then at McGee, waiting for the translation. He watched confused at McGee's grin as he hurriedly explained something to Ziva, she replied looking confused and then embarrassed. McGee signed the message across with a smirk.

_"She says you're as thrilling as a door-knob."_

_"Did she now, what where you two saying before?"_

_"I'll be murdered in my sleep if you ever found out."_

Tony turned back to Ziva and gave her a knowing grin; he figured he could taunt her a little by making her believe he knew what she and McGee had been talking about. She smiled and shook her head, seeing through his bad acting.

"You don't know what I said, Tony. McGee wouldn't risk it."

"WHAT?" Tony said, looking frustrated.

"I said - ..." Ziva sighed, then shut her mouth, there was no point in repeating herself, and Tony wouldn't get it. She grabbed a sheet of A4 paper and a marker and wrote in large capital letters.

_'SHUT UP AND WORK'._ It read, she held it up to him.

"Ziva, hey now. No need to be rude, seeing as I'm deaf and all..." Tony said with fake puppy-dog eyes. "You know what would be really convenient? You learning sign language, that would be _really_ helpful, seeing as I can't hear or understand you."

Ziva looked slightly hurt as Tony's words took on a harsher touch as his finished the sentence. He had meant it to be a joke but it hadn't turned out amusing since it really was a subject Tony was frustrated with, and a topic Ziva felt guilt over.

McGee called to Ziva, who pointed Tony's attention in Tim's direction. Tim started signing.

_"You know Ziva is going to start learning- - " _He stopped when Tony held up a hand to silence him.

"I already know _you_ can sign, Timmy, but that isn't the topic of this conversation, now is it?" Tony said with a mischievous grin, "You can speak American Sign Language, and so can I, so... Read my sign!" Tony said, shouting the last part. He pushed off on the desk chair and into a fast spin, slamming his feet down on the carpet once he had done two full rotations; he waved his hands in front of his face before sticking up his middle finger.

"See McGenius, I can speak sign language too."

* * *

The day passed quickly and Tony worked hard. As soon as he arrived home in the evening he collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. The day had been surprisingly tougher than he had expected and that worried him. There had been a lot of fun and play in the bullpen today, but he had only just got back into the building and that had been cause for ongoing celebrations. The day had been challenging even with the light atmosphere and the team had been patient, he knew that patience would continue on tomorrow and the next day but it was only a matter of time before their patience with the slow communication would run out, and they got as frustrated as he was.

He had hardly caught a word of anything Ziva had said to him all day and had been constantly confused and left behind in conversation, requiring McGee to fill him in on what was happening whenever the team got excited over a potential lead and rushed ahead. Everyone had encouraged him at the end of the day, farewelling him with congratulations and encouragement; 'It was only going to get easier.' He knew somewhere that that was true, he had learnt that Ziva had picked up an ASL Dictionary and was planning on taking lessons. He was only going to get better at lip reading, understanding and following conversations, he just worried how much time it would take before things began to run smoothly, he hoped they would before the team grew frustrated with him, and before he became a burden.

None of this dampened his determination. He had worked far too hard to retreat back at the first sign that his battle may be bigger than he once thought, if anything it built on his determination and spirit. He had the support of his team; his friends and he had the willpower he knew he needed to see him through.

**Comments, constructive criticism, compliments and insults.**

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	16. Chapter 16

**Seven months on:**

Tony's bed vibrated, he opened his eyes to see the early morning sun streaming through his blinds. He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair, it was morning already. He rolled himself off the bed and dragged himself into the conjoining bathroom still half asleep.

He showered and dressed, spending an age picking through his wardrobe; matching tie to shirt and shirt to shoes and his shoes to his tie again and the tie to his socks. He took even longer standing in front of his bathroom mirror playing with his hair, carefully making sure each individual hair had its fair share of hair moisturizing product and jell, before he molded it into its assigned place on his head.

Tony's apartment door clicked shut behind him; he strolled to the elevator and hammered the button a few times before leaning back on the wall behind to wait for it. His neighbor, Margaret emerged from her door and shuffled her way down the hall towards him. He greeted her with a smile, the elevator slid open in front of him. He held out his arm and allowed the older woman to shuffle her way past him and into the lift.

"What level, Madam?" Tony said, smiling his 100 Watt smile as he pressed the ground floor, already knowing she was heading that way.

"Thank you, dear. I still can't understand how you make it to work this early every day. They work you too hard Anthony." She said, wagging a finger.

Tony read her lips and chuckled, "Now Maggie, never mind me, would you mind telling me what a lady like yourself might be doing out this early?"

"Doctors appointment, my dear." She said as the lift came to a stop, he held out an arm again and let her pass him into the chilly lobby. She began moving off in another direction.

"Good luck, Maggie, see you later."

"Thank you, Anthony, make sure you take care."

The traffic was light on his drive into work and he made it in early, managing to pick up a coffee on his way in. He locked his car door and made his way into the NCIS building sipping on the steaming cup.

He exited the elevator with a spring in his step, it was the end of the week, a Friday and he had the whole weekend off. Tonight the team had planned drinks and he was looking forward to it. He used to be one for going out at every opportunity and had no issues picking up women where ever he went, of course that had changed after his accident. It wasn't something that hit him too hard, his previous lifestyle hadn't been exactly ideal, now he had time for more genuine relationships with people that were not afraid or intimidated by him, true friends that he could rely on.

He sat himself down at his desk and sighed, he was the first one to arrive for the second time in a week, it was his new record. He opened his emails and picked up the phone, dialing the number for his answering machine and read his voice messages as they ran out on the computer screen in front of him.

He stood up and wandered casually over to McGee's desk, glancing around the half empty office cautiously, scanning for anybody that might rat him out. He ran a finger along the desk and made his decision; he moved behind the desk and speedily started working his magic before anyone else arrived to catch him out.

Ziva and McGee met in the elevator and rode up together, entering the office and stopping before Tony, both wearing the same suspicious look. He had his head bent over his desk and was apparently working. Ziva and McGee exchanged a glance, Tim stamped a foot heavily on the ground, gaining Tony's attention as he felt the vibrations, he looked up with a smile.

_"Have you heard the news? Hell just froze over."_ Ziva signed and said at the same time.

"And why would that be, Miss David?" Tony replied cheekily.

_"Here early, twice in the same week; and actually working? I don't think so. You're up to something..." _Tim signed, frowning and staring about him suspiciously.

"Can't a diligent, incredibly Special Agent get into work before expected and work unnecessarily hard on some thrilling paper work?"

Ziva and McGee shook their heads in unison and retreated to their desks, Tim eying his cautiously. He poked around the desk and prodded different objects, testing his chair and touching everything carefully at first. He continued this routine for five minutes, until he was perfectly sure that there was nothing there.

It was another five minutes before Tim cried out in exasperation. Tony's attention was still on his computer and he jumped slightly when he saw McGee out of the corner of his eye, standing right behind him looking furious.

"Ergh! McGee, personal bubble right here!"

_"You sent the same email to everyone in my contacts list?"_

"Who? Me?"

_"Tony! That included Director Vance!"_ McGee signed, letting out a yell of frustration as he ran his hand through his hair, Ziva had risen and was watching the signed conversation.

"And...?" Tony asked.

"He just sent an email, supposedly from me, admitting my undying love to every individual that received it!" McGee spluttered to Ziva, incredulous.

Tony smiled sweetly at McGee and then Ziva, he turned and double clicked with his computer mouse and looked at the screen, displaying an email from Tim.

"Oh, Tim! That's so nice of you! I think I'll print it off and frame it..." Tony teased, he was about to go on when he received a clip to the back of the head, Gibbs strolled past and into the bullpen, holding up a hand when Tim started to explain the situation in a high pitched voice.

_"I know, McGee."_ Gibbs said and signed, rounding his desk.

"...You know?"

"Should I believe that you would really send me an email, informing me that 'I'm the ray of sun that delicately breaks your night to day on a crisp autumn morn?'"

"No, Boss. I didn't send that ema – It wasn't me it was – "

"Tony, yeah I know." Gibbs said, clipping his gun to his waist. _"You better start working on some apology letters while we're gone, DiNozzo. We've got a case."_

"I've been working on my calligraphy, Boss. I'll bring out the good parchment."

_"I'm serious, DiNozzo. Get to work now, here are the details. We'll be back later."_ Gibbs said as the two other agents grabbed their backpacks. "You two get downstairs, Brigs is gassing the truck."

Gibbs looked back at his Senior Agent as he exited the floor, Tony had his head bent and had already started working. He couldn't help the pride that swelled up inside him, Tony had proved himself and astounded everyone from the moment he had arrived back at NCIS. When he had first started back it had been difficult, Tony had worked furiously and although it had been a slow process, the progress began to show in the way he followed a conversation with growing ease, and could communicate and trade ideas with the team. He had watched Tony's internal battle with himself, blocking out the slightest hint of self pity and filling the spots with acceptance and determination. He was proud of Tony's achievement since returning to the job. He had had numerous people coming up and voicing their positive opinions on Tony's progress since returning or if they had not known him before-hand, their surprise in learning that he was in fact deaf.

Gibbs walked just ahead of Ziva and McGee on the way to the car, his other two agents had impressed him almost as much as Tony had with their loyalty and persistence in making life easier for their partner. Ziva had realized her mistake in not having learnt sign language sooner and had begun taking classes immediately, McGee, Abby, Tony and himself all giving her a hand in picking it up. McGee had proved incredibly useful in the time Ziva was still learning, acting as a translator between the two.

Tony had really pushed Zach into the deep-end and it had seemed like the warning the team had offered before-hand had not been pressed enough, for Zach still got quite a shock. Tony had him well on the way to growing a backbone. Zach had stood up to Tony for the first time about a month ago, he earned congratulation from everybody in the team and even Tony had given a smile at his defiance.

* * *

Tony worked with the little information he had. His computer research skills had grown in the time he had spent as a desk jockey, moving on from the basic Google searches he used to perform to more sophisticated methods. Gibbs and the team returned with a witness and two suspects in tow and instantly escorted them down to the interrogation rooms too cool off before being pulverized by Gibbs.

Gibbs appeared at Tony's desk with Ziva at his side, Tim was organizing the suspects.

"What do you got?" Gibbs asked, Tony rose and flicked on screen, displaying their victim's banking records and recent phone activity.

"I got this;" Tony said, spinning the remote in his hands.

Tony explained all the information he had gathered and ran through the projected images on the screen quickly, giving them the short version and only stopping once when Ziva tapped him on the shoulder to ask him a question.

"Good work, DiNozzo." Gibbs signed just as McGee re-entered the bullpen.

"They're all ready in interrogation, Boss."

Gibbs, Ziva and Tony followed Tim down to interrogation. Ziva, Tim and Tony arranged themselves in the best viewing positions behind the reflective two-way mirror, already making bets on the outcome of the interrogation before Gibbs had even seated himself in front of the suspect.

"He's going to go the 'Causal approach'. I can feel it." Tony said, peering into the glass. He turned back to look at Ziva and Tim.

"Ten bucks he'll do 'The Whisper'" Tim said, holding out a hand to collect the pool.

"It's going to be the 'Sudden Yell'." Ziva said with a nod, putting a note in Tim's hand.

"Ziva, get into the light. I have no idea what you two are saying, you say 'The Whisper', Timmy?" Tony asked, pulling Ziva's arm to get her under the florescent lights, he had trouble lip reading in places like that when the light distorted the words or distracted him.

_"I'm going The Whisper, Ziva's going the Sudden Yelling. You're Casual Approach?"_

They all turned to focus on the interrogation, each clutching their ten dollars and watching eagerly. It turned out they each got to keep their money as Gibbs went the 'Utter Psychopath Approach' and surprised them all. They gained no confession out of the suspect who held his ground against Gibbs's wrath and convinced the team of his innocence, nobody could survive that and still be lying.

The next suspect wasn't much help but was better than the previous one. He denied anything to do with the victim but let slip a couple of names of friends of the diseased, that he claimed to have a 'hinky' feeling about. The team set themselves at their work spaces and began plinking away at their keyboards, searching for any information on their leads. The work afternoon dripped away slowly, each team member thinking of the night's plans and watched the clock, waiting to get off.

Tim sat cradling his head in the palm of one hand while he used the other to lazily control the mouse on his computer, lost for ideas on the current case. Ziva mirrored his boredom on the other side of the room.

"How far back did we go on the financial check if the victim? Suspect 'Fat Ass' made a major Ferrari purchase six years back, we could see if we can match it?"

"Ask Tony" Ziva replied in a monotonous voice .

Tim looked across at Tony who was staring at his screen and clicking furiously, Tim could just make out flashing colors and cartoonish figures on the screen, it looked like a child's gaming website. Tim stamped his foot on the ground but gained no response from Tony, he couldn't be bothered to get up from his desk and physically gain his coworkers attention, he took a more creative approach.

Tim balled up a bundle of scrap paper that was lying stray on his desk and took aim, mimicking the action that Tony had performed countless times on him. The shot went fly and bounced to the floor behind Tony, gaining no response from the man. Tim cursed his lack of sports experience and tried again, it hit the corner of Tony's chair and rolled to a stop on the floor. Ziva smirked at his failed technique and glanced back to her work. Tim looked back to his computer, deciding to take an approach he was more skilled in.

Tony's large stack of balancing dwarfs had only one hundred more meters to shuffle before he beat McGee's highscore. Perspiration was forming on his brow as he carefully aimed each click of his mouse so the large stack stayed vertical. He let out a yelp of surprise when his screen suddenly went blank, large red words flashed across his screen in capital letters.

_'THIS IS GOD.' _Tony instantly turned to look at McGee, a large scowl formed across his face. Tim was sitting normally, casually looking at his computer screen and typing as though nothing was wrong.

_'SEND THE FINANCIAL CHECK OF THE VICTIM TO THE INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT MAN SEATED TO YOUR RIGHT, THEN KISS HIS FEET FOR HACKING YOUR COMPUTER.'_

Tony looked angry, he raised his arm and pointed at McGee accusingly, the sleeve of his fitted suit lifted as he stretched out and exposed his arm a little. McGee swallowed at the sight but Tony didn't notice. McGee had caught full sight of the scars Tony hid so well a couple of times over the past year. He could not get used to them, even when he caught a small glimpse at times like this, the deep scars McGee had seen situated under Tony's elbow flashed in his memory.

"Rude!" Tony stated bringing McGee back to the current situation. "And in response to you knocking own all my dwarves, I say-" Tony leant forward and flicked of his computer screen.

McGee placed his face on his keypad.

* * *

The witness appeared in the bullpen escorted by another agent who left her with Ziva. The witness waited patiently for McGee who was working with Abby, but had been assigned to take her home. Gibbs's whereabouts were unknown to the team, they just assumed him missing, and Tony was in the men's room. Ziva was the only occupant of the bullpen apart from the witness.

"Here Miss Greg, have a seat. I'm sure Special Agent McGee won't be too much longer." Ziva said, helping the woman into McGee's chair. The woman looked tired and distressed after having such a shocking experience in the morning and then spending the rest of the day being bombarded with questions at the NCIS headquarters.

"Thank you, Special Agent David" Miss Greg replied, sighing as she sat down.

"Please call me Ziva." Ziva said with a smile, "Can I get you anything? Tea or coffee?"

"I wouldn't mind a glass of water, if that isn't too much trouble? Thanks Ziva."

Ziva nodded and smiled politely but before she could reply she was interrupted by Tony who wandered back into the bullpen without looking where he was going, his attention solely focused on a chocolate bar he was attempting to unwrap.

"The day they stop selling these babies in the vending machines," Tony said, wiggling the bar, "is the day that I retire for good, or maybe the day that they stop stocking those crinkle cut potato things on the third floor, I hate to think how much of McGee's money I've spent on them since I started here ..."

Tony glanced up quickly and saw that Ziva was not alone in the bullpen, and then looked back down at the wrapping.

"- - But never mind any of that; as it appears McGee has turned into a woman."

Miss Greg had been watching the other agent as Ziva had and looked up at Ziva surprised.

"Tony!" Ziva said, slightly embarrassed as the woman looked uncomfortable. Ziva bent and tried to catch Tony's eye from her position but had to wait until he looked up again, which he did a couple of seconds later. He had only taken a quick glance at the woman before turning his attention back to the chocolate bar, he looked up at her again and realized his mistake, instantly trying to smooth it over with the undeniably attractive woman before him.

"On further close observation and investigation it appears as though I was mistaken, there's no possible way that_ you _are McGee... I'm almost disappointed, I couldn't help getting my hopes up for a second there, imagine working with someone as fetching as Miss - ?" Tony said, outstretching a hand to shake.

"Danielle Greg - Danni, please." She said accepting the hand, Tony nodded, not catching the name. Ziva could tell he hadn't understood.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo... Special Agent Tony DiNozzo... Tony DiNozzo... Just Tony is fine."

"Please to meet you, Tony."

"... Yeah... Good..." Tony nodded, unsure of what Danielle had said.

"So, Miss - ?" Tony said, looking at Ziva for her name.

_"Danielle Greg, she said to call her Danni." _Ziva signed.

Tony and Ziva both watched as realization clicked in Danielle's eyes. She had watched Ziva signing and then looked back at Tony, finding the reason for his pause. Her eyes traced the scarred smudge on his face. She suddenly looked nervous and embarrassed. Tony sensed it and quickly tried to smooth it over, he was familiar with the expression that came upon the witness's face, it was one he saw often. People would get stuck for what to do when they found out he was deaf. He couldn't quite get into the habit of introducing himself along with his disability. Somewhere he felt that it gave people the wrong first impression, he didn't want to be defined by it and chose to hide it for as long as possible so he could show his capability before they found out his secret. Even if it meant these uncomfortable moments.

"So Miss Danielle, what brings such a fine woman like yourself here on a day like today?" Tony said while retreating back to his desk.

"Miss Greg is the witness brought in from the Webbing case" Ziva said aloud as well as signed to Tony.

"Ohhh," Tony nodded, sitting himself down, "You must of had a great day!." Danni smiled and shook her head, Tony continued, "Been questioned? Then you must have met our friendly, favorite Bossman?" Danielle looked at Ziva and then back at Tony.

"You know. The salt and pepper fox, bad haircut, not the happiest Jan you've ever met?" Tony said with a smile.

"He means Special Agent Gibbs," Ziva said rolling her eyes, Danielle looked enlightened. "Tony, why don't you go and get Miss Greg a glass of water." Ziva suggested stiffly.

He nodded and rose from his desk, wagging his little finger in a farewell wave as he headed to get the water. Ziva turned to the witness and offered an embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry about Special Agent DiNozzo, he's a little..."

Danielle shook her head and smiled, waving off Ziva's apology. She'd found the man strangely charming as his confidence overrode everything else, even if he was a little juvenile. "No, it's fine."

"He's deaf," Danielle stated bluntly, it wasn't a question, just a surprised statement.

"Uh yes, Tony is deaf." Ziva nodded.

"And he is still allowed to work as an NCIS agent?"

"Yes, they pulled a few uh..." Ziva mimed pulling down on a rope and clicked her fingers trying to remember the idiom, "Strings! They pulled a few strings to keep him here after he had his -, Well, obviously he cannot work in the field, but yes. He is still an agent."

"I didn't even notice until..." Danielle said softly, mainly to herself.

Ziva nodded and smiled politely again, retreating to her own desk to call McGee again to check he was still coming to collect Miss Greg, just as she lifted the receiver McGee dashed into the bullpen, looking bothered, his face flustered as though he had made his way up from Abby's lab in a hurry.

"Uh- Miss Greg, I'm- I'm sorry I couldn't get here any sooner I was, well - Are you ready to go?" Tim stammered, standing awkwardly before the pretty woman that occupied his desk.

"That's fine, yes I'm ready." She said, standing and wrapping her coat over her arm.

"Well if you'll just follow me..." Tim said. The witness followed Tim out of the bullpen, leaning on Tony's desk for the slightest of seconds as she nodded goodbye to Ziva who sat at her own. Tim and the witness made their way to the elevator and were gone when Tony re-entered the bullpen seconds later, carrying the water bottle he had just purchased.

"Ah- I spent three dollars on this water!" He sighed, chucking the bottle on to his desk when he saw that they had left, he took at seat at his desk. Ziva looked up when Tony let out a low chuckle a few seconds later, she raised her eyebrows quizzically.

"Looks as though Miss Greg's business card accidently slipped it's way onto one Very Special Agent's keypad..."Tony said, waving the small piece of card he'd found resting on his desk. Ziva rolled her eyes again as Tony lent back and held it out in front of him admiring it.

* * *

McGee, Ziva, Tony, Abby, Tony and Jimmy all met up for the arranged drinks at the end of their long working day.

Tony sat wedged between Jimmy and Abby, cradling a beer in one hand and had the other tucked behind Abby's neck, she held his hand on her shoulder with both of hers in a friendly manor.

The club was one of Abby's favorites, she'd been raving about it for months and had been constantly insisting that they all go together; the five of them finally pre-arranged a night they all agreed on. They had each gone home and changed before travelling individually to meet inside the club. The three Special Agents had finished a little later than the scientist and autopsy gremlin and the two had waited while the trio had hurriedly filled in paperwork and packed up for the night.

The music was loud and pulsed through the floor, the five colleagues sat on a squashy couch and chairs around a small coffee table in the corner. The music was so thundering loud that it rattled their eardrums, they were slightly thankful that they all knew sign language. The swirling of the colored lights made lip reading somewhat impossible for Tony.

They toasted to Abby, the hero that had found the last minute evidence that lead to the close of their case and the beginning of their relaxing weekend. They leant forward and clincked their glasses together before leaning back comfortably.

Ziva watched Tony as he signed fluently to Palmer who was sitting across from him, sloshing his beer as he waved his hands exuberantly. She couldn't help the small smile that inched it's way across her lips as she watched her partner and reflected on the past year. There had been moments where even she had doubted the decision of keeping Tony on the team as being the right one. There had been moments where his mask had slipped, his frustration shown and the strain had threatened to break through his facade. He had pulled through and Ziva liked to think that at certain points the team had helped piece the guise back together, whilst still pretending it didn't exist. Nothing was thought of those moments though; they were over shone by his success. There was no exact point that was going to tell them, no line he had to cross and no dial that would indicate he was _there_; he still had a long stretch to run. He was getting there.

Tony smiled into his drink as he took a sip. The lights swirled about him and he could feel the beat of the music pulsating through the floor, the vibrations hit him in the chest like a big drum that beat a constant cadence. He looked over the faces of his colleagues, his friends. Their smiles were illuminated in bizarre colors from the lights.

They were like a close-knit family, their friendship had grown immensely in the past year with certain events aiding in bringing them closer together. He could not express the trust, love and loyalty he felt to each individual in their little circle, and he was not expected to- his thankfulness was felt.

He happily let Abby tug his sleeve, pulling him up to dance with her, he could not pull the grin from his lips. His disability was an actuality and he had dealt with the permanence of it, his acceptance hadn't happened over night, or two nights or more. It had taken time; time spent with his supportive friends. Nobody had bothered to ignore the elephant in the room, they'd all accepted the elephant had come to stay forever and ever, they had simply set about making it more comfortable, grooming it a little and mopping up all the shit it had left in its path.

The group danced, laughing together at the sight of Jimmy; limbs flailing in wild dance moves of his own creation as he managed to ward off every other girl on the dance floor in a matter of seconds. Abby jiggled to the beat with Tony as he carefully tried to avoid having his toes crushed by her stamping platform shoes.

Tony knew the latter of his night would be spent on the second last step of Gibbs's basement as he watched the older man working on his beloved boat. He looked forward to that almost as much as he had looked forward to the nights outing.

Everything was alright.

**The End :)**

**Dear Friendly FanFiction shut-ins,**

**This was my first FanFiction and I want to say I had the sickest time writing it, all your support kept me motivated. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed this story, please know your reviews made me obscenely excited and ridiculously happy to the point of doing victory dances, every time I got a new one. Cheers if you gave me advice, tips, pointers, helped me out with crap I'd screwed up, I reaaalllyyy appreciate it and it made a lot of stuff sooo much easier.**

**You can count on me to write some more Fan Fiction, it's so addicting! **

**Well, thanks for bearing with me and finishing it. Putting up with all my crappy medical research. I had no idea what I was on about. **

**There's a few people that have reviewed more than once, actually quite a few of you. I tried to make like, this little list of shout-outs but it turned into a big list of muddled up, repeated names and I got way too confused. You know who you are, and I know who you are, and if you want to know who they are look in the reviews. I special virtual hug to you people.**

**Emily**


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